Be Glad

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Hi Friends!

Recently, I came across a company called DwellDifferently that picks a verse each month to memorize & makes a scripture design that includes the first letter of each word in the verse to aid in memorization. (Great idea, right??!!) One of their designs last year was based on Psalm 90:14. And with everything that has been going on in the world- Covid, shut downs, social and political unrest- this verse really got me thinking. Psalm 90 is a Psalm of Moses written when he and the Israelites were in the wilderness. The wilderness was rough! Moses knew that their responses to the hard times had angered God at times. But he also knew God, our loving and merciful Father. And, he cried this prayer out to God in the midst of his pain. So let's look at this particular verse.

"Satisfy us"- Satisfy is defined as "to make happy or contented," "to give sufficient or ample provision," "to fulfill the desires, expectations, or needs of a person," "to give full contentment to." Moses is looking to God for all this. And we should too.

"in the morning"- The NLT version says "each" morning. We should begin our days, each day, with God. Even if it is just for a few minutes, that time with Him is crucial.

"with Your unfailing love"- His love is what satisfies us. And His love is unfailing- unconditional, reliable and constant, never ending, never changing.

"that we may sing for joy"- This is the result of us being satisfied by His love- we sing for joy. Our level of joy shouldn't be based on our circumstances. His unfailing love is what we should base our joy on!

"and be glad all our days."- Along with joy, His love brings gladness, not to just some of our days, but to ALL of our days. Yes, all- even the day I lose my job or get a diagnosis or lose someone I love or when the world seems like it's falling apart around me. His love is still there. And it can still bring us joy and gladness.

There are numerous verses in the Bible that speak to joy in hard times. As I thought about this particular verse, what stood out to me was the reason I can sing for joy & be glad all my days. It's because of His unfailing love. That's all I need. It's all any of us needs. No matter what, He loves us. No matter what, we can rest in His love. No matter what, we can hope in Him. No matter what, we can sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Page details:

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets for this page: Lollipop Alpha, Send Me, All in All, Fruits of the Spirit, Faith Wordfetti, and Healer of My Heart. I stamped the earth, then masked it with a mask I made by stamping it onto a post-it note and cutting it out. I then applied distress oxides to the page with sponge daubers. I used 2 stencils and darker distress oxides to create the sun rays and the stars. I colored the earth with Prismacolor pencils and used Gamosol to smooth out the pencil lines. I wanted the Lollipop letters to pop. So I stamped them onto sticker paper and cut them out. I stamped the rest of the wording and adhered the letter stickers to the page.

The page opposite of this page just happens to be the page I journaled when the first "shelter in place" orders were made. Good reminder to find joy and gladness through it all. 

Join me and choose joy this week! Blessings! Andrea

Who is this???

 Hi friends,

I think sometimes there is a danger that the longer we follow Christ, and the more familiar we are with Scripture, we may lose some of our awe and wonder at the things Jesus did as recorded in the Gospels. One example of this is the account of Jesus rebuking the storm when the disciples were terrified that they would perish due to the fierce wind and waves crashing into their boat. In a situation of great danger, Jesus not only was able to sleep, but also spoke with such authority to the wind and the waves that they immediately obeyed him.

Can you imagine the awe and astonishment that the disciples must have felt at that moment? But here's the interesting thing: Jesus asked them "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" It seems that he expected them to expect him for miraculous intervention and protection. His power and authority over nature shouldn't have come as a surprise but as an expected result of faith. We can see in the disciples' response that they hadn't quite figured out who Jesus was yet. They knew him as a rabbi who taught with wisdom and authority. They knew him as a healer who made the lame walk. They knew him as one who could feed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish. They knew him as one with authority over demons, who cast them out with a word. But in the face of his power over the storm, they ask, "Who is this?"

Even though most of us haven't been in a physical boat which was in danger of sinking, I'm sure we can think of times when we felt in danger, or overwhelmed by a storm in our lives. We may know Jesus as our teacher, our healer, our provider and our deliverer, but there are always more ways in which Jesus wants to reveal himself to us. It may be that we feel overwhelmed by the storms we face in life right now and we are afraid, and wonder where God is in all of this. Has he fallen asleep? Does he care? We know the answer to these questions when we look at Jesus. In the midst of the storm, Jesus wants to demonstrate his power and love to us in new ways. He may calm the storm swirling around us, or he may calm the storm within us, but let's not doubt that he has the power to calm the storms. 

I created a background with acrylic paints on this page and used Peace be Still to stamp the waves, wind and boat (I stamped the boat on watercolour card then coloured and cut it out and stuck it over the painted and stamped background). I used the new Lollipop Alpha to stamp the question, and stamped the scripture verse stamp from Peace be Still underneath. Here are the sets I used:

Let's continue to look at Jesus with awe and wonder, believing that he has the power and authority to calm whatever storm we may be facing, and knowing that he is in the boat with us.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

SEEK THE LOST

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."  (Luke 19:10)

We find this quote from Jesus at the end of one of the most beloved and well-known Bible stories:  Zaccheus. It’s a story of seeking and saving. Zaccheus sought Jesus by climbing a tree so he could see the Savior pass by. Jesus sought out Zaccheus, stopping in front of the tree, and invited Himself to his home. Not worrying about what the pharisaical crowd thought of His mingling with “sinners”, Jesus exclaimed that His purpose on this earth was to “seek and save the lost.” 

Brothers and Sisters, we are sinners, and Jesus has sought us out in order to save us!  Praise God!  I am a sinner set free, just as Zaccheus and his entire family were saved and set free.  When we open our hearts to His love, seeking Him diligently and whole-heartedly, Jesus enters our lives with His saving power. And just as Jesus sought for sinners to save, so must we have the heart to seek and save the lost.  There are so many people around us that are lost, and in need of Jesus:  family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends, perhaps even our spouses or children. And then there are the countless lost souls in our communities, cities, and around the world.  The more we seek and encounter Jesus in our daily lives, the more we’ll be equipped and ready and passionate about seeking the lost.  Our job is to seek them, and then love them with the Gospel and share its simple truth. God's job is to do the saving, nor ours.  

I created this Bible journaling page with several stamp sets, spray inks, and watercolor pencils.  First I stamped the words and images on my page, masking the people off so the color wouldn’t cover them.  Some of the color seeped through though, but I didn’t mind too much.  Next, I spritzed and splattered the sprays onto the page, using water to activate and blend the colors. After I dried the background, I used watercolor pencils to color the people and the hearts.  Finally, I added some detailing with a white pen.  I love vibrant colors, and the shimmery shine of these paints makes my heart happy!

SEND ME

    

SURROUNDED IN PRAYER

FAITH WORDFETTI

BITTY MINNIE ALPHA

Don't Look Back

 

Have you heard the saying, "Don't look back, you're not going that way"? When I was reading the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, this saying popped in my head in relation to Lot's wife. The sad end to Lot's wife is summed up in one short sentence in Genesis 19:26,

"But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

We all know the story, right? Two angels came to Lot's family in Sodom and instructed them to flee before the Lord destroyed the city. The angels had simple instructions - escape and don't look behind! Once Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were safely removed, God rained fire and brimstone down on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their egregious sins against Him. He completely destroyed the entire area so that it went from a lush, fruitful valley to completely uninhabitable by man or animal, and it remains so to this day. 

Some researchers say that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was an unsurpassed act of divine judgment in which God literally rained great chunks of fire and brimstone down on the entire region. Others say that God caused volcanic activity to erupt at that specific moment in time and used the earth's natural resources to bring about the destruction of the two cities. Either way, I think we can all agree it would have been an awesome, terrifying sight to behold. 

I've always been a little curious about the story of Lot's wife. In all honesty, I thought her harsh judgement a bit unfair. I mean, her home and entire city were being destroyed by a miraculous display of God's mighty power and she couldn't just sneak a peek? I would be curious. I would want to look. I would want to see. Wouldn't you?

So I had to do some digging. And in my digging I realized that her punishment was not for sneaking a peek at God's mighty display of power. No, her punishment (and why it was so harsh) was because her heart and her devotion still lay in Sodom, not in God. 

Here is what David Guzik's commentary has to say:

"The word looked back has the connotation of looking intently. It might possibly be rendered lagged back, or maybe even returned back. In referring to the end times, Jesus uttered some almost cryptic words in Luke 17:3: Remember Lot's wife. In other words, no Christian should have a heart like Lot's wife as we see the end of the age, a heart that loves the world and will in some sense, regret the judgment God will bring on it. We need to look forward to our deliverance, not back at a world passing away and ripe for judgment."

Matthew Henry's commentary says this:

"She disobeyed an express command, and so sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, which ruined us all. Her looking back evinced an inclination to go back; and therefore our Savior uses it as a warning against apostasy from our Christian profession. we have all renounced the world and the flesh, and have set our faces heaven-ward; we are in the plain, upon our probation; and it is at our peril if we return into the interests we profess to have abandoned. She was struck dead in the place; yet her body did not fall down, but stood fixed and erect like a pillar, or monument... which would last perpetually."

It wasn't the look, it was the intent behind the look. At that moment, the look showed what was in her heart. Her punishment was immediate and she became a monument to her love for Sodom over God.

How does this relate to us today? Well, it reminds us that God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. He knows where your true devotion lies. But it also reminds us not to look back. Don't look back on your former life, what God has called you out of. You're not going that way. You're going forward to what God has called you to be, where He has called you to go, to do what He intends for you to do. The story of Lot's wife is tragic (and really, the story of Lot's entire life is tragic), but it is a reminder to us all to guard our hearts, to set our sights on God and His plan, to follow Him and never look back. 

Page Details

I used clear gesso, Distress Oxides, stamps, and a Zig writer marker/pen to create this page. I first used two layers of clear gesso to protect the page and make the inks easier to blend. Once dried, I blended three different colors of Distress Oxides, splattered with water, dried, and then stamped my title. I journaled my notes, stamped the date, and added a bow paperclip and called it good. :)

Stamp sets used:

  

I pray you go into this new week not looking back, but looking forward to what God has planned for you. 

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

God Already Knows

 For your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8b

Hi Friends!

There seems to be no end to the chaos and craziness that is this world. I came across a song by JJ Heller called You Already Know (Click the song title to hear the song.) It was her response to Covid and the shut down last spring. And I related to so much of what she says in her song. 

Here are the lyrics:

Everything around me seems uncertain

My weary heart can't take much more surprise

I wish there was a point on the horizon

Something I could see with my own eyes

I need to tell You that I'm scared

I feel completely unprepared

And nothing's what it was two weeks ago

But You already know

You already know

Everything I'm scared of

Everything I hope

You hold my tomorrow

And all tomorrow holds

You already know

I can't seem to find the easy answers

Someday, I hope the suffering makes sense

I just need to know that You are with me

Even if You keep me in suspense

We talk so much these days

Because I have so much to say

You stay and listen to me closely even though

You already know

You already know

Everything I'm scared of

Everything I hope

You hold my tomorrow

And all tomorrow holds

You already know

Whatever I'm feeling

Whatever is coming

Whenever the ending

You're already there

You go before me

You go behind me

Wherever I'm going

You're already there

You already know

You already know

Everything I'm scared of

Everything I hope

You hold my tomorrow

And all tomorrow holds

You already know

You already know

God already knows, friend. Nothing that has happened, is happening, or will happen surprises Him (Ps 139:16.) He knows what we're scared of. He knows what we hope for. He knows what we are feeling (Ps 139:1-4.) He goes before us and behind us (Ps 139:5.) Wherever life takes us, God is already there. He holds our tomorrows and He holds us. I encourage you to read Psalm 139 in its entirety. It's a beautiful psalm that teaches that God knows us inside and out, better than we know ourselves. And Matthew 6;8 reminds us that He knows what we need before we ask Him. Take heart, friends, we may be living in unsteady times, but we have a steady God. If we stand in Him, we will stand firm.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Lollipop Alpha, Marker Alpha, All in All, and Delightful Daisies. I stamped some of the flowers on hymnal paper and cut them out. I used watercolor crayons for the background and lollipop letters.

He knows. And He has us in His hand. Take care, my friends! Andrea

Judge, Lawgiver and King

Hi friends,

Little did I know when I started creating this page earlier this week, that it would be so timely in the light of the events that have unfolded. I feel compelled to write what I am sharing today in the hope that it will challenge all of us, much like the prophet Isaiah challenged the people of Israel in his day. In Isaiah 33:22, the prophet declares, "For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us." Let's look at these three roles/titles and think about how we should live in the light of this truth today.

Firstly, the Lord is our judge. It is important to remember that the Lord is the one who judges individual lives as well as governments and systems. This should be both sobering and comforting. We should live with the awareness that the Lord is the judge of ALL - not just the people or party we don't like or agree with. He alone knows the heart and motivations. He knows the difference between truth and falsehood. Where we are flawed in our discernment and deficient in our knowledge, he is perfect. So when he judges, he judges rightly. We also need to recognise that as Judge, he has put in place human institutions to carry out justice on the earth, and part of recognising God as the ultimate Judge means respecting the authorities he has instituted on earth (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:14), whether we like them or voted for them or not. Much like the prophets, we must speak out against injustice, but we must be careful about allowing our preferences to filter what we do and do not see and say.

Secondly, the Lord is our lawgiver. This follows on naturally from the Lord as Judge because he can perfectly judge according to his perfect law. When I was creating this page, one of the last things I did was add the heart stickers, and their placement was aesthetic rather than anything related to the scripture. But when I took these photos, I noticed the place of the heart next to 'the Lord is our lawgiver' and was reminded of the most important law that God has given us: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27-28). This made me wonder whether we have forsaken this law - the royal law of love (James 2:8) - because of other laws that we have become worried or obsessed about. What if we lived each day in the knowledge that as our Judge and Lawgiver, the Lord says that the most important law is to love God and love our neighbor. How would that change the way we interact with others, particularly those we disagree with? How would that change the way we evaluate the fruit on display in our leaders? How would that change our approach to voting, and to either victory or defeat?

Finally, the Lord is our King. This is true no matter who is in government, and it no more or less true depending on who is president, prime minister, senator, minister, or earthly king. Our hope should not be in our earthly, human, fallen leaders but in the Lord who is our King. He is the King of the universe, and invites us to be a part of his kingdom which is not a political realm or a country. Our King showed that the way to use power is not to grab or grip onto it, not to demand or seize it, but to lay it down in service of others, humbling himself even to the point of death on a cross. Yes, this is our King: King Jesus. When we follow him and pledge allegiance to him as Lord and King, we take our eyes off earthly kingdoms, we refuse to put our hope in political leaders or policies, and we choose not to participate in the party politics of a broken, human system. Yes, we can vote, prayerfully discerning which party or person we believe according to Scripture will be faithful in carrying out justice, and leading by example, but we can't put our hope in the outcome. Jesus is the King above all kings, the Lord above all lords, the name above all names, and he will not be co-opted into a political party. He stands ABOVE.

Let's live like this is true.

I used some patterned paper in the margin, and created a background with acrylic paints to blend together with the paper. I used a number of stamp sets on this page: The Lord's Battle, His Name, Skinny Lowercase Alpha, All of Me Alpha, Texture Tiles 5, and Faith Wordfetti. 

Lord, please forgive us for when we have placed our hope in human leaders or systems instead of in you. Please forgive us for allowing the frenzy of politics to inhibit our love of our neighbor. Please forgive us when our submission to and prayer for our leaders has been conditioned by our preference. Please help us to live faithfully under your lordship as Judge, Lawgiver and King.

Amen.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

All Things New

 "And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Revelation 2:5)

We've had one week of 2021 now. We all hoped that 2020 was behind us, and that 2021 would bring some normalcy back. But this year is already starting with craziness and chaos. The events of this week have pushed back any idea that life would get back to normal. But God never promised us "normal" and problem-free living. He only promised to be with us in whatever we face. When life is too normal, we get too comfortable and complacent. I don't know about you, but 2020 taught me to keep more focused on things above, because things of this world were just too depressing and worrisome.

Revelation 2:5 promises us that God is making all things new, even if 2021 isn't the answer, and of course it isn't. The Bible tells us that this world will only get more challenging as we suffer its sin-sick consequences, and expectantly wait for the Second Coming.  But that day is coming, and THEN He will make all things new. No more Covid-19, no more masks, no more sickness and death. No more political division, no more social and financial instability, and no more racial unrest.  God will make a perfectly problem-free world where we can dwell with Him forever. Until that time, though, we must hold to His promises and His gain strength from His word.  

I created this page while I was at a camp with my family for the New Year's weekend.  Getting back to nature is always restorative and renewing for me, and that's just what this time away provided for me.  Camp Kulaqua is in north Florida, and the weather was typical Florida-winter mild.  The leaves crunched under my feet as I walked outside in the woods.  On two separate occasions, I saw a group of seven young deer. Their spotted backs and small size spoke of a newness and innocence.  How trusting these sweet fawn were as they eyed me from behind the trees.  

Like these younglings represent, we will soon enough see the newness and rebirth of life on this earth.  I pray daily for His soon return, and for the hearts of those who yet need to be reached.  

For this page, I used the fun, new Lollipop Alpha stamp set.  I also used Fur-ever Friends which includes this fawn image.  I masked the deer and the leaves so the image lines didn't intersect, thereby creating a more realistic and uniform picture.  I colored everything with watercolor pencils and then blended them with a wet paint brush.  I finished with a simply drawn border, washi tape, a tab, and splatters.

You can check out how this page came together in a process video over on my YouTube channel or by clicking the video link below.  The products I used are linked below the video (some are affiliate links).  

https://youtu.be/HGDPFFe8jyA

Fur-ever Friends

Lollipop Alpha

Products Used:

Watercolor Pencils

ESV Interleaved Bible

Tonic Studios Glass Media Mat (SBC) or Amazon

Water Brushes:

(Scrapbook.com)

(Adornit)

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Stamp Shammy Cleaner

Heat Tool

Illustrating Bible Mat

Clear Acrylic Blocks

Precision Pens

Signo Uni-ball White Gel Pen

Craft Scissors SBC or Amazon

Illustrated Faith Date Stamp

Tab Punch SBC or Amazon

Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (Mini-Stapler) SBC or Amazon

Illustrated Faith Watercolor Paint set

Signo Uni-ball White Gel Pen

Pitt Big Brush Pens (White #101)

Washi tape from stash

Unseen Blessings

 

I have a confession to make, I have been in a creative funk lately. Ever been in one of those? Well maybe not creatively but we all find ourselves in a funk now and again, where we have just seemed to lose our motivation or inspiration for a little while. I don't know if it's been the busy of the Christmas season or what, but I've been struggling to get it back.

But what I have found helps is just sitting down with some paint and stamps and just play! I wasn't sure where I was going with this when I started, but I put on my worship music and just started playing. While I was scraping paint on a piece of yardstick in this binder clip junk journal I created a few months ago, this song "Blessings You Can't See" came on. 

It got me thinking as I continued journaling. Just think of ALL the things that have been blessings in our lives that we don't even know about! Most people try to count their blessings especially when you're in a hard time and trying to remain grateful. But what about all the quiet unseen blessings we don't even know about?!

I know one thing I am really grateful for the unanswered prayers I said in high school! Back when I thought I knew what I was doing and what was best for me. But those unanswered prayers turned out to be blessings. I didn't know what I needed, but God did. And he strategically removed people from my life to protect my future. 

And how about all the things that never happened to you but COULD have?! For example, I was stopped at a traffic light one afternoon after getting lunch with my kids. The light turned green but I hadn't moved yet because I was checking to make sure I didn't leave my wallet behind. By the time I looked up and saw the light had turned green, a truck came barreling through the red light right in front of us. Had I not stopped to check my purse, our car would have been in the intersection when that truck ran a red light, and either smashed into my door or my daughters. It took a moment to sink in, but I realized what COULD have happened!! A huge blessing that I almost didn't notice. I have no doubt God put that thought in my head that caused me to pause at that light before going. It could have changed our lives forever!

So when you count your blessings at night, try to not forget about the quiet unseen blessings. God is always working behind the curtain. His hand is in everything.

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity

Lollipop Alpha

Made New

With Love Alpha

Mini Grunge Type Alpha