In The Morning...

Psalm 143:8

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

What better way to start the day than knowing of God's love for me. In trusting Him, I I better walk the walk He wants me to. It is when I try to do it on my own that things become more confusing. As a new year approaches, I resolve to work harder on trusting in the Lord and starting each day anew in His love.

For today's journal page, I have combined a couple of digital images. I printed them onto vellum (Strathmore printer Vellum) and colored my page with Polychromos pencils (pencils work great on vellum!). Then I inserted it into my new small pocket Bible - this is a fun little Bible that I can't wait to play with a little more.



I don't play with SNSS digis very often but there are a lot of cute ones in the store. The links to the ones I used are: In the Morning Digital Stamp and Butterfly & Flower Digital Stamp

I hope you were inspired today and I wish you a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Lyn

Stop Drop and Pray for...

Hi there,

Does anyone else feel like their prayer life needs to grow? I did a little word study on prayer recently and was massively challenged on the amount of scriptures that encourage, command and model different types of prayer and things we can/should be praying for. One of the verses that really spoke to me was Luke 6:28, where Jesus says, "bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." Wow, that's a tough one.

Abuse, in whatever form it takes, is a really difficult experience to go through. I know personally that my first reaction is not to pray for the one abusing. But yet, I read Jesus' words and realise that as a child of God I am supposed to choose differently. Admittedly, my first reactions may still be motivated by pain, but Jesus tells me I can choose differently. And how do I make that choice? Well, I look at my Heavenly Father, who is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (that includes me!) and I pray, asking that He make me more and more into His image as I pray for those who hurt me.

As I illustrated this page I reflected on this verse as well as one in the same chapter where Jesus teaches that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (good trees bear good fruit; bad trees bear bad fruit). Boy that was challenging! The way I speak about those who abuse me reveals what is in my heart... As well as choosing to pray for those who abuse me I also need to pray that God would continually work on my heart so that this flows naturally from a heart overwhelmed by the grace and mercy of God, for me and for others!

Here is a little tutorial for how I created this page:

I used Gelatos to scribble some colour on the page (above) - looks pretty messy at this point! Then the magic happens courtesy of the humble baby wipe! Just swipe and blend from one side to the other and the background of your page and the results are fabulous. I added some stencilled sunrays, stamped the trees from Scene Silhouettes: Trees and added some foliage using paint.

Finally I stamped in the margin using the Stop, Drop and Pray stamp (a little sneaky peek of something coming in January!), adding the other words using Mini Grunge Type Alpha and some alpha stickers.

I hope today's thoughts are an encouragement to you, even though this is a very challenging message. I'm so grateful that we serve a God of grace who helps us in our weakness!

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Jesus is the Branch

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-3a

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas! This is the time of year that we celebrate Christ's birth. And that takes me to a prophecy in Isaiah 11 foretelling Jesus' coming. It may sound strange to us to call Jesus a Shoot or a Branch. But I love this illustration of Jesus!
Jesse was David's father. And only when the house of David was decimated and humbled to almost nothing, like a dead stump of a once mighty tree, only then would the Messiah come bringing new life to that dead stump like a shoot or branch.

And then comes a beautiful description of Jesus- full of the Spirit in wisdom and understanding, in counsel and might, in knowledge and fear of the Lord. What a mighty King we have! Jesus brings new life to us if only we accept Him as our Savior. So, come let us adore Him. Not only during this Christmas season, but each and every day. Our beautiful Savior is worthy of our praise. Glory to Him!

For this page, I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Scene Silhouettes: Trees, Lynzee Script, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, and Seek Him. Scene Silhouettes: Trees is a newly released set. So many possibilities with this set! And there are some other newly and soon to be released sets that coordinate beautifully with this set. The alpha sets are also a great way to get a beautiful hand-lettered look. I highlighted some of the letters with a white Sharpie pen. And, the background was done with chalk pastels. 

 

May your days be filled with the light and life of Christ our Savior. O come let us adore Him! Andrea

Die to Live

Life and death are serious issues.  Some people live as though they will never die, carelessly casting away any thought of what will happen as they pass from this life.  Some live their lives fully every minute of every day because they know this life matters and the choices we make in this life will matter for all eternity.

I recently attended the funeral of my sister's elderly mother-in-law.  It was an poignant celebration of love of family, but even more of her love for Jesus.  Those who shared about Donna during the service all spoke of her tender, gentle, caring ways and they knew without a doubt she chose her demeanor because of her belief in Jesus.  She infused Jesus into her routine conversations and served him faithfully.

Jesus said in John 12:24-28,

When you think of this passage as a metaphor that compares our lives to wheat, you will see a powerful lesson.  I'm really struck by that first verse describing the grain that does not fall to earth and how if it doesn't it will remain alone.  I'm not sure people deeply understand the absolutely aloneness of a life and death apart from Christ.  It is through Christ that all deep connections and relationships are given, both to each other and to God.  Living in Christ is truly a complete surrender of our lives.  We must fall to the earth...give away everything that is the carnal person, die to the person we are without Him and in so doing, we gain new life, real life.  Because life without Christ isn't much of a life at all. 

In order for my life to matter, in order that I might bear fruit, I must first die to myself, and allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to get into that carnal, sin-sick soul and do His miraculous cleansing. 

Attending that funeral was both a time of rejoicing and sobering.  We rejoiced that Donna followed Jesus and served Him faithfully.  But funerals are always very clear reminders that this life in us will pass away.  Eternity is on the other side.  We just have to make a choice now where we will spend eternity...whether we will hold onto all the things we crave that are temporal and be all alone in eternity, in a dark void where no light penetrates, where no hands reach out to hold or comfort.  Or...we can choose Christ and choose life.  We can choose to live a life that matters, that bears fruit for Him, and that leads ultimately to the most amazing fellowship with the Creator of the universe and with all those who shared our faith in Christ alone. 

As Christmas approaches and we celebrate the joy, peace, hope that Jesus brought into the darkness of the world, we cannot escape the eternal significance of this miracle.  Jesus came that we might live through His death.  I pray that each of you will have a heart that rejoices in the newborn King, the King who now sits at the right hand of the Father waiting for the moment to gather all of His own unto Himself.  

As we lay our lives down, die to self, we like Paul can say, "...to live is Christ and to die is gain."  (Philippians 1:21)

I used the brand new set, Scene Silhouettes: Tall Grass from Sweet and Sassy Stamps to create the wheat at the bottom of the page.  I used water color paints to create the background, just splashing them on and allowing to dry before stamping the silhouette.  The margin is hand lettered.  I accented the page with a couple of pieces of washi tape.  I put sparkly shadows on some of the lettering using a Spica Glitter pen. 

Scene Silhouettes: Tall Grass

They rejoiced with great excitement

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. (Matthew 2:10)

I love the star in the stamp set 'Peace on Earth' so I had to use it for this page. At first I wanted to draw a silhouette of the stable with the star above it but then I thought... Why not use the stamp of baby Jesus instead. 

I wanted to make an intense sky so I used pastels to create the background. I started with the yellow color and added some red, purple and blue colors around it. I used a little bit of black on the edges of my paper. I added a couple of layers to get a more intense color. The images are colored with colored pencils so I could get into all the details. 

I used the stamp set Peace on Earth for the images and hand lettered the message.

 

- Lucinde

Master of the Sea

Good morning, crafty friends! I'm so excited to be sharing on the Creative Worship blog today. Although I've been on the Sweet 'n Sassy design team for a number of years, this is the first time I'm posting for the Creative Worship team. 

Bible journaling is a relatively new experience for me, as I recently gifted an art journaling Bible, which lays out the pages with wide margins that are perfect for adding images, quotes, and notes. I have found that Bible journaling is helpful for focusing on a particular Scripture text or doctrine as your mind can't help but ponder the words you're that inspired your art.

Today's passage focusing on Jesus' power over nature and the text of how He immediately calmed the storm. While we can see literally see how God brings about and calms storms, and all of our weather, figuratively He can also calm the trials (storms) that come into our lives. Jesus' miraculous works while physically on the earth, was to demonstrate that while He was fully human, He was also fully God and the creator of man and the elements. These simple, but powerful truths should comfort us as we face various trials. Not only is He fully in control of all that happens, but He is also the one who will be comfort in the midst of the trial, and the one who will bring it to an end. Amen and amen!

My layout started with a wash of color from Pan Pastels. Pan Pastels is one of my favorite mediums for adding color to Bible pages; the color applies easily, goes on smoothly, is transparent, and doesn't bleed through the pages. When using Pan Pastels, you will need to set the chalk when you're finished applying the color. I just use a light mist of hair spray. LOL!

I used a die cut circle to mask a sun and added stamping using coordinating die ink colors.  The boats and anchor were stamped on a piece of cardstock, colored, and attached with glue to my pages. When added die or hand cut images to Bible pages, it's best to use a lighter cardstock and anything heavy weight will add bulk to the thin pages. My text was added using a variety of alphabet sets and words from other Bible journaling sets (see supply list below). I love mixing fonts! Below are a few more close up photos of my spread. Happy crafting!

Supplies:
Master of the Sea

Skinny Lower Case

Skinny Upper Case

His Wings

Wise Men Still Seek Him!

Matthew 2:7:12

⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

These Magi, knowing of the prophecy of the Messiah, followed the star. They found him, worshiped him (as one would God), and gifted him treasures (fit for a King). These very wise, important men knew how special this baby was! How could someone like you or I fail to do so?

This time of year is often very stressful and hectic. We are trying to get the perfect gifts for those on our list and often we forget that this is His birthday, His day to be celebrated. So this year, when you are out shopping and fighting the crowds, take a breath and remember what the season is about the remember that no matter what you choose, the greatest gift was already given with the birth of Jesus and to this day... "Wise Men Still Seek Him!"

After I created a clean and simple Christmas card using the We Three Kings Clear Stamp Set, my friend insisted she wanted it for her Bible.

I tried a couple of things and finally got the formula right. I used vellum and distress inks for the background and archival ink for the silhouette and created an insert for my Bible.

The thing I love about this vellum page and silhouette stamp is that the beauty is on both sides of the page.


I hope you have been inspired and I wish you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by,
Lyn

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

Hi friends,

One of my favourite things about this time of the year is being able to sing Christmas carols (I would sing them all the year long if I had my way!). There are so many gospel truths contained in many carols and so many opportunities to glorify God in worship. One of my personal favourites is Oh Come all ye Faithful, and I particularly enjoy belting out the chorus, "Oh come let us adore Him" (in fact I have been known to sing that at other times of the year!).

I wanted to create a page at the beginning of the New Testament that brought together the birth and death of Jesus with this worship refrain, so I drew the shape of a cross and stamped the words and image within it. I created the stained glass effect around the cross using a micron pen, Inktense pencils and a water brush.

I used these fab sets on this page:

     

May we continue to adore our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, God with us.

x Amy x

Jesus Chosen

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:13-15

Sweet Friends,

Today's passage takes us to the time when Jesus chose His twelve disciples. Many were following Him, but He chose twelve out of the many. Peter, James, John, Andrew, and the other eight became "those chosen by Jesus". They probably didn't realize or understand what that meant at the time. But He did.

What a privilege it is to be chosen by Jesus! But, it's not easy. The twelve left their jobs and families and faced persecution. But as they grew to know and love Jesus, they knew He was worth it. They were willing to sacrifice for Him.

Guess what, believers are chosen by Jesus too! In this complicated and sometimes crazy world, it's not easy to be a Jesus follower. But, HE IS WORTH IT! Wear the "Jesus Chosen" identity proudly.

For the page, I used a brand new set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps called Hello My Name Is, available for pre-order. This is such a great set! You don't want to miss it. I also used Skinny Caps and Skinny Lowercase Alphas, and Fill Me Up.

Remember your status, friends. You are Jesus chosen! Have a blessed week! Andrea

Prince of Peace

And he [Jesus] will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 

In kingdom rule, the Prince is granted authority as designated by the king.  This passage reflects the granting of authority to Christ, the awaited Messiah.  The initial part of the passage gives greater insight on the authority Jesus is given, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders."  Christ carries all governments.  No plan forged by earthly leaders will foil the plan that God has for this world.  God is sovereign above all earthly authority.  Knowing that God is in charge and all will happen as He wills gives me great comfort.  

One of the most amazing areas of Christ's authority is over the realm of PEACE.  It is Christ who grants peace.  Think of when he calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee. He evoked his power and authority over chaos; He had the power to declare peace over the raging waves (Mark 4:39).  He had that authority as the Prince of Peace.  

As we look at our world in turmoil, we see the tempest of the enemy raging. We need not fear.  God is sovereign and the Prince of Peace is still in control.  Our responsibility is to trust and serve Him until he brings an end to the storms we see in our world.  With the same authority, Christ can declare peace over the storms in your own life.  If you are tossed about by a sea of doubt, fear and trouble, the Prince of Peace is near to you.  You have only to call upon Him and he will either quiet the storms that assail you or He will quiet your spirit and reassure you that He is with you through the storm. 

I used two stamp sets to design this simple page, Christmas Botanicals and Peace on Earth, both Krista Hamrick sets, available at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.   Everything is colored with Prismacolor Pencils.

 Peace on Earth                                           Christmas Botanicals

                

Seek Him

"Those who know your name trust in you,

    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

To truly love God you must SEEK him, you must come to KNOW him & you must TRUST in Him. He is waiting for you to seek him out and give him your heart...what are you waiting for? 

For this page the background is just simple (yet super fun) paint splatters. Then i used the Seek Him stamp set from the Creative Worship line. I LOVE stamp sets that give you everything (&more) to create a cohesive and meaningful page! 

Grab this stamp set and more at www.sweetnsassystamps.com

Songs in the Night

Hello Bible Journaling friends!   I think we can all agree that Job knew what it was like to walk through times of darkness;  however, at one time or another, we all walk through difficult times...depression, sickness, bills due, loss of a loved one, or even a crisis of faith, but I am reminded as we enter into the Christmas season of the shepherds who were out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Angels showed up in the darkness of night to announce the most amazing good news..."For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord," and then...the song came as the angels started to praise God!
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

"Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
But none says, 'Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs in the night,
who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?"
(Job 36:9-11) ESV

My page was prepped with Dina Wakley Clear Gesso.   Distress inks were sponged on the upper corner to make the night sky.  A spritz of Perfect Pearls, splatters of white acrylic paint, and Texture Paste spread through a stencil were used to create the stars.  The message, created using several stamp sets from the Creative Worship line of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, was white embossed so it would pop off the night sky.  Copic Markers were used to color the bird which was fussy cut and glued to the page.  (I Googled "song bird" images and found one with this coloring which worked perfectly for my page.). My notes were hand written.

You may be walking through a dark time right now.  Do not fear!  Do not lose hope!
Paul and Silas had their chains broken in the darkness of night.
God shows up in the night with a song.
He does mighty works in the darkness of the night!

These stamp sets from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store were used to create this page in Job:

Thank you so much for stopping by today.
Let us not forget the reason for the season as we begin to prepare for Christmas!
Have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
Cathy