Source of Hope

Who needs a bit of encouragement from time to time? I know I do. We live in such a busy, crazy time, with life spinning all around us. Sometimes, when we take our eyes off of Jesus and look at circumstances, things can get hopeless.

Several years ago, Chuck Swindoll said “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.” Isn’t that true with hope as well? We can’t control all that is going on, but we can choose our responses. If we choose to trust in Him, the Bible tells us in Romans that we will “overflow with confident hope.”

All too often, we want to react to the situation instead of choosing to respond with what we know to do. Paul goes on to say in Romans chapter fifteen, that we already “know these things so well” and that we “can teach teach each other all about them.”

So, why if we know these things do we not do them? For me, it’s because I sometimes forget from who...and from where hope comes. Hope doesn’t come from the world around me, it comes directly from my Father...”the source of hope.”

Perhaps today, you or someone you know, might need this reminder as well.



“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Art behind the story:

As I pondered this passage, I couldn’t think of a more joy filled representation of hope than a pot of spring flowers. We plant bulbs in the fall with the hope of blossoms in the spring!

I used Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Spring Blossoms and stamped the tulips and daffodils on patterned card stock. I drew leaves and the flower pot on coordinating card stock. Then, the fun part...fussy cutting all the pieces and then designing the arrangement as I pondered this passage! Next, I stamped the word hope from the Choose Faith set. Lastly, I hand lettered the rest of the sentiment.

Holy Spirit Power

"...he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according  to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7

When I receive my new stamps in the mail I first begin by looking to my Bible for key words or phrases that fit each set. The new Holy Spirit stamp this month is one that really got me digging into my Bible a little deeper and reading passages that I have seemingly overlooked. I love this passage from Titus it is a beautiful description of how our lives become transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

To create this page in my Bible I used the Holy Spirit stamp and those adorable Girl Power printables. I first began by enlarging the girl that closely resembles myself then I traced the image onto the Bible page. I finished it by inking and watercoloring the girl to make my own personal image that represents me. For the design on my girls shirt I used washi tape, alternating patterns to create the striped affect. I also traced the sentiment 'My girl power comes from the Lord' in the same way I traced the girl. I love how both these printables and stamp totally fit and work together. I stamped the Holy Spirit stamp towards the top in my favorite Staz On black ink, added a tab, washi and a few floral stickers to tie the whole page together.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my post I can't wait to share with you again next month!

Love and prayers,

Jenn (Creativegurl85)

Trust In the Lord

Happy Friday everyone! 

Yay for the weekend right?! The page I am sharing with you today is from the book of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight."

I know it's not just me that needs this reminder from time to time. It's very easy to get caught up in the problems of the world and the stress of everyday life. We try to solve all of our own problems as quickly as possible, and preferrably in an efficient manner. We need to remember that we need to put all our trust in the Lord. Only he knows what he's doing and what comes next. Wouldn't it be great though to occassionally get a little peek into our future? It would just make life sooo much easier!! But unfortunately, we can't, and that's ok! Because our Lord is powerful and he only has good things planned for us. So, if we let go of the reins, and give him control, he will point us in the right direction. It's not always easy, and yes it takes faith, but he can do amazing things when we let him!

My favorite part of this page was creating the sky! When using silhouette stamps, it gives you the opportunity to really play with the background and make it unique. For this background I used a technique shared by my friend Angeline, owner of Dots & Dust. She designs and makes her own line of watercolors! So fun! Check her out on Instagram: @dotsanddust   

I used pink and blue watercolors to lightly add color to the sky, and when the two colors bled into each other they created a beautiful purple! After that background was done, I went back over it using white acrylic (slightly watered down) to create very soft white clouds. Angeline calls them "cotton candy clouds". Once the background was complete, I used Scene Silhouettes: Trees and Scene Silhouettes: Woodland to stamp the tree and fox. And lastly; stamped my text, added a tab and some wordfetti, and done! A fairly simple and elegant watercolor page.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

Scene Silhouettes: Trees

Scene Silhouettes: Woodland

Seek Him

Love Your Neighbor

Teeny Alpha

Not a Mean Girl!

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 

1 Peter 2:1

Friends,

Mean girls are all around us. In fact, if I'm honest, I used to be one (and sometimes, still am one!) But God calls us to be better than that. He calls us to stop getting mired down in jealousy and anger and gossip and hypocrisy and comparing, and instead rise up and act in a way that draws others to Him. To shine His Light. We can't do this in our own strength, but only in His. So let's make an intentional effort every morning to be God's Light in this hurting world. Pray that He will work through us, even in spite of us, each day. We may not be able to fix the world, but we can impact where we live. We can be the kind girls. And that's pretty cool!

Now for page details, Sweet n Sassy Stamps released the Girl Power printables which I have fallen in love with! I loved the look of seeing the Scripture through the printables, but as a personal choice, I don't like to cover Scripture where I can't read it. So, I copied the Bible page I wanted to journal onto white card stock. I then placed the girls on top of the copy and cut around them to make a tip-in. I matched the words on the copy up with the words on the Bible page and used washi tape to adhere the tip in to the page. I got the look I wanted, but can fold the tip-in down so that I can still read the Scripture! Win-win!

I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Girl Power Printables, Skinny Minnie Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, and Whimsy Bouquet.

Have fun being the kind girl! Andrea

Beautiful Boundaries...

Hi friends,

As I've been reading through the Bible this year I've read through the sections where land was given to the twelve tribes of Israel. It can be easy to skip through these parts, wondering about the relevance of the various different boundaries and city allocations for ancient tribes! But as I was reading, a verse from Psalm 16:6 came to mind: 'The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delightful (or beautiful) inheritance.'

 

As I was journaling about boundary lines I began to think about boundaries in our lives. There were three thoughts that resonated with me. Firstly, we need to recognise the boundaries we have been given. So often trouble comes because we don't know or accept the boundaries God has given us: we want to wander outside of them and set our own parameters on life. But like the tribes of Israel, God has given us an inheritance of beautiful gifts and that inheritance has boundaries - not physical ones like rivers or fences, but other types of limits. These may be moral boundaries, gifting limitations, selected relationships, financial parameters... and others. Our responsibility is to recognise these boundaries, and then to cultivate gratitude for what God has blessed us with. This is the 'pleasant' and 'delightful' part! If we focus on the goodness of God's provision within the boundaries He has set, we are less likely to look longingly into someone else's field or go wandering where we shouldn't (whether with our mind, eyes or body!).

The final thought about boundaries has resonated with me personally, and that is about how we guard the boundary lines of our lives. Sometimes we allow others to trample through our inheritance or we invite unhelpful or harmful elements into the space of our lives. It is our responsibility to protect that which God has entrusted to us and sometimes that involves saying 'no' to things that try and violate the boundaries of our lives. Saying 'no' is often not easy, because we don't want to let people down or offend others, but it is an important word in living responsibly within our delightful inheritance.

As my photos have shown, I had fun with my Distress Oxide inks on these pages, using stencilling and sponging techniques to create backgrounds. I then stamped the text using a combination of alphabet stamp sets, and added the wildflowers using Nature Silhouettes. Here are some of the sets I used:

I hope these thoughts on boundaries which have challenged me, may encourage or challenge you as you consider the beautiful inheritance you have been given in Christ.

x Amy x

Keep Each Other Believing!

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” 

that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  Hebrews 13:3

I listened to a small audio sermon today.  Dr. Vernon McGee sure doesn't mince words.  He comes straight to the point about most doctrinal issues and issues of the heart.
Well, today as he called me "friend" there on the old radio broadcast, my heart was broken.  Oi…I like when my heart is "touched" or "moved," but I rarely like to have it broken.  Who knew that an oldie like McGee could send convicting messages into the future!?
 

This portion of scripture is not just about being a "friend" to another.  It's not mainly about coming together as a church body and worshiping the Lord on a given Sunday.  It's not about visiting a local church every Easter and Christmas service.  It's not about attending a Ladies' Tea event once a year and coming away with a powerful sense of femininity.  These types of things are "touching," but something goes a bit deeper here: rest for the human soul.

Using distress inks to
add to the background

As a part of the team of Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps, I am given this amazing chance to "vocalize" my love for Jesus, and speak of His movement in my life.  I get to use the blog as a platform to help others in their creative journey!  I love this; I feel this is a good part of my ministry!
As a part of the family of Christ, though, I'm given an even more amazing opportunity to help my sisters (and brothers, if they're reading) to encounter rest and joy in Jesus everyday, all day long! 

Prepping a background
with distress inks
and my stamping block

It's my turn to call you "friend."  And friend, as a Christian, if you are not able to find the "rest" as is promised to you once you find Jesus, the Bible says there's a heart issue of unbelief.  Unbelief of the good news that you have heard of Jesus' death and resurrection for you; unbelief of what God is capable of doing with you and for you in your life; unbelief that regardless of what you have done, Christ is your sin covering, your Mediator, your Redeemer.  Unbelief that now, as a follower of the One who died to bring you rest, you cannot live in sin. 

What does this mean for us?  Well, if you know someone who is living in sin (adultery, stealing, cheating, lying, etc.), you have a responsibility to "exhort" her/him to believe what God has done.  There is no way she/he can have a contented life or incur God's blessing while living a life of blatant disobedience.  Help them, friend!  Exhort this person - TODAY - to turn away from this hardness of heart that keeps her/him from entering the "promised land!"  

If you are the someone living in unbelief, and you are hiding in your sin, I want to exhort you, "while it is called 'today,'" to hear God's voice calling you out of your sinful lifestyle.  There is a reason why God provides the "body" of believers; we NEED others to help us, lift us up, pull us away, bring us back to the "belief" of Christ and the gospel!  Surround yourself with people that will help you pray, listen to God's voice, and be accountable! 

Today, I encourage you to face that sister-in-Christ about her sin problem.  Today, I encourage you to bless a sister-in-Christ with the chance to pray for you about your sin problem. We need to keep each other believing!  The bible says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Ecclesiastes 4:12

We are meant to help each other, defend each other, stand together!

Much Love,

Deeds

IG: @mrcfuldeeds2010
Youtube: mrcfuldeeds

This little bundle of goodness is a promo for upcoming "goodies" 

(stamps with all the ladies you see here!!).  YAY!!

He Leadeth Me

The old Hymn "He Leadeth Me" has been rolling around in my spirit all day today so I thought it only fitting to journal about it.  Listen to the words and let it speak to you. 

♬♩♪♫♬ He Leadeth Me ♬♩♪♫♬

1. He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
   O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
   Whate’er I do, where’er I be
   Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
   • Refrain:
     He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
     By His own hand He leadeth me;
     His faithful foll’wer I would be,
     For by His hand He leadeth me.
2. Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
   Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
   By waters still, o’er troubled sea,
   Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.
3. Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
   Nor ever murmur nor repine;
   Content, whatever lot I see,
   Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
4. And when my task on earth is done,
   When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
   E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
   Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

God knows what we need to hear and when we wake up with a song on our heart that is the Holy Spirit trying to get our attention.  Lean into that and ask the Lord what it is that He is speaking to you. I needed an extra measure of trust in God and through this song it ministered to my heart that 'what'er I do, where'er I be, still God's hand that leadeth me'. He leads and guides us every day; we only need to trust Him.

The verb 'LEAD' can be defined like this... 

1.

to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort: - God goes before us and shows us the way we should go.

2.

to conduct by holding and guiding: - He holds our hand all along the way

3.    to influence or induce; cause: - He helps us make our decisions

What a comforting thought knowing that He's got us and He will lead us where His will is. Amen!

Artist notes: I used my favorite gelli plate technique for this page. It's messy but easy. You need lots of acrylic paint, a gelli plate, bubble wrap, a brayer and baby wipes. Once I got the background laid down I stamped with Sweet N Sassy Texture Tiles for some depth. 

Using the Timeless Hymns set I cut apart the stamp I needed so that I could stamp individually and effortlessly not having to worry about masking. 

😬**YES, you CAN CUT apart your stamps** 😆

You'll be fine. Make them work for you.

Now that I have that song stuck in your head, have a lovely trust filled day!

💖 Elizabeth

Hey friends. Here on the blog with another fun page. I really enjoy this stamp set and how many ways u can use it.

The verse I journaled is:

"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" 

Psalms 4:1 ESV

Isnt that what we want? For God to answer us. To give us relief. I spend so much time worrying over things that He is completely taking care of. They are not mine to worry over. Call out to Him. Give it to Him. And let Him be in control as you wait.

ART TALK

For this page I covered the verse with washi tape . Then I used paint to create thick lines and circles. I had to be intentional to use lots of white space. I then used Versafine Onyx Black to stamp the words on. Then I used my White Signo Uniball pen to write circle lines on the circles.

Hope you enjoyed this page!!!

Link to shop here. 

Blessings,
Colleen

How's My Heart?

Moses’ face is still radiant with the glory of the Lord when he shares with the people of Israel what the Lord has commanded regarding offerings for the tabernacle.

Exodus 35:5 states “Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord:”


That stopped me in my tracks and I read it again.  “Let those with generous hearts.” Hmmm.

It didn’t say everyone present gifts. It said all those who had “generous hearts”. I began to ponder. Would I have been in that number of those whose hearts were generous?

As I read further in chapter 35, Moses tells the people all the types of gifts they were to bring. Gold, silver, bronze. He included olive oil and spices. He went on to instruct those who were gifted craftsmen as to what they were to construct.

In verse 20, it says 'the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents." Scripture goes on to tell us that all whose hearts were stirred and those who were of a willing heart brought contributions for the tabernacle.

Again, I began to ponder. Was my heart stirred? Was it willing? Where is my heart when it comes to things of the Lord?

In fact, in the next chapter we learn that the people have given so much for the tabernacle they had to be told to stop giving because they had “more than enough”!

Am I of a generous heart that is stirred when there is a need and generous enough that I would give to the point of excess?

Father may my heart be generous, open to being stirred, and willing to give above and beyond. 



________________________________________________________________________________



Art behind the story:

The background on these pages is done with watercolor, and then layers added by using Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Grunge Elements 2 and some stencils that I made on my die cut machine. The words are stamped with Mini Grunge Type Alpha.

Even the Stars

"Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. And He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away." Psalm 148:3-6

Recently I was on Youtube and a suggested video popped up in my feed... it was 'So Will I' by Hillsong United. The words in the song are so powerful and moving! I highly recommend giving the song a listen and allow the Father to speak through the song. Once the song was over I pulled out my supplies and got to work documenting this special God moment in my Bible.

I began by using the sketchy star in the 'Skinny Minnie alpha' set stamped in sticky VersaFine ink and embossed with white embossing powder. I stamped the fun sticky note from 'Just say Jesus' onto some scrapbook papers and used the 'Teeny alpha' and words from the same set to stamp on the notes. Before attaching the notes to the page I used a few blue watercolors to create a dark night sky. Once dry I added some simple white stars or dots with my white signo gel pen and a few splashes of gold ink. I love the cute little washi strips added to the corners of the notes, it gave the page so much character. I finished the page with some of the lyrics from the song 'So Will I.' 

I will end this post with the first verse from the song, I pray it touches you heart. 

'And as you speak a hundred billion galaxies are born

In the vapor of you breath the planets form

If the stars were made to worship so will I

I can see you heart in everything you made

every burning star a signal fire of grace

If creation sings your praises so will I!'

Hugs and prayers,

Jenn @creativegurl85