Mutual Encouragement

Hello friends, it's Janelle here! I'm new to the Creative Worship Blog, so I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share with you all how excited I am to be here with you. I am a Michigan native, married to my high school sweetheart, mom of three boys and a furbaby named Waffles (my boys named her, of course 😉). I have been a Christian for many years, but walked away from the Lord through my teens and twenties until He got a hold of my heart and brought me back to Him. Now, my family and I actively serve in our local church, where I play piano and teach a 2nd and 3rd grade girls' Sunday School class (my weekly girl time!). When I'm not Bible Journaling, I'm reading or hanging out with my family. 

I received a Journaling Bible as a Christmas gift over a year ago and have fallen in love with creatively expressing my relationship with Christ through His Word. I've followed Korin and her Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps ministry for quite awhile and am so blessed to be a part of the team. My prayer is that God will use me to encourage others as I have been encouraged by her and her team this past year. ❤

"That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." 

Romans 1:12

The book of Romans is one of the most-studied books of the Bible as it clearly lays out God's plan of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles, but Paul's heartfelt passion for his readers is evident throughout the whole book. Paul opens his letter with salutations and thanksgiving, and in Romans 1:11-12 he articulates how he longs to see his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ so that they "may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Believers form a special family of brothers and sisters who are provided for by a heavenly Father, and as a family they have the unique ability to encourage and motivate one another to live for Christ. That is something I have experienced first hand in this Bible Journaling Community. We all come from different backgrounds and yet we have been brought together by our love for God and His Word. We are sisters in Christ in God's heavenly family and have a responsibility to God and to each other to uplift and encourage each other in our faith walk.  

My dear sister in Christ, I urge you to take a moment at the start of this busy week to think of one person you could encourage in faith today. Say a prayer, drop a note, send a text, and remind her of God's love and purpose for her in her day today. 

I used the Genuine Love set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to create this simple page. I drew a box around the passage I wanted to highlight and taped it off with washi tape. I then stamped all around box with the hearts and flowers. I used Distress Oxides for the flowers and Archival Ink for the hearts.

*Fun fact: I dropped my stamp pad and had a big smudge right in the middle of my text. Not the look I was going for. 😔 To "fix" it, I created a watercolor effect with the stamp ink and turned the smudge into a highlight of my key verse. Girls, isn't that just how God works? He takes the big, ugly smudges right in the middle of our life, softens them around the edges, and uses them to bring Him glory. Praise God! 🙌

Hugs and prayers for you this week, 

Janelle @journalingjoy