Praise God

Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with timbrel and dancing, praise Him with strings and pipe, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150:1-6

Hi Friends!

What is our purpose? We often ask ourselves that. Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? Friends, our purpose is simple. Our purpose is to praise God and glorify Him. No matter what we are doing, what circumstances we may be experiencing, no matter how we feel...our purpose doesn't change. We are to PRAISE HIM. We are to GLORIFY HIM. 

So, I ask myself. Am I fulfilling my purpose? Do I praise Him daily and throughout the day? In those moments where something doesn't go the way I want, am I praising Him anyway? Not always, probably not most of the time, if I'm being honest. Do I glorify Him daily? Do I work in a way that glorifies Him? Does what I do in my free time glorify Him? Dear ones, I'm not pointing fingers. I think we can all agree each of us, especially me!, has room for improvement. And we have an awesome God who meets us where we are. So, let's praise Him. Let's glorify Him. He definitely deserves it!

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: All of Me Alpha, Send Me, Note This, and Grunge Dots Stencil. I applied distress oxides with blender brushes, stamped, and then used the stencil. Easy, peasy! :)

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Give Thanks

 Hello and Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

This Thanksgiving will look far different from what many of us are accustom to.  Concern and worry over spreading the virus will keep gatherings smaller and the distance between us greater.  

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

 It says, "give thanks in ALL circumstances", not just in situations where we are happy or comfortable.  So, no matter what our meal plans end up looking like this year, we are to give thanks.  

Just pause for a moment and tell God a few things you can see around you that you are thankful for in this moment.  As I type, I can see my husband and our sons.  We are all gathered in our living room, doing our own things, but we are together and there is love in this room and for that, I am grateful.  I am thankful for our home and the warmth it is providing on this chilly evening.  I am thankful for this online community that I have met through Bible Journaling and for being apart of this creative team for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  And to make this super relevant for 2020, I'm thankful I got my toilet paper order from Costco sitting by the door, waiting to be put away.  😂

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.  -Charles Dickens

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of just that....giving Thanks to God for His abundance, counting your blessings and at least being able to talk to your family and friends and letting them know how much you love them.  

Page details:

I wanted a simple page that reminded me of fall and harvest time, so I used watercolors to paint this field of wheat.  I stamped my title with my all time favorite alpha from Sweet 'n Sassy. (All of Me Alpha)

I hope you have a Happy & safe Thanksgiving!

Jill

 

I'm Coming, Lord!

 O You who hear prayer, to You shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:2

Dear Friends,

Wow, what a year this has been, right? So many uncertainties and upheavals have occurred. But, in my life at least, there have been many blessings too- more time with family, rest from work, more time of prayer and Bible study. We live in a world where many do not know our great God. But, one day, as Psalm 65:2 tells us, ALL flesh will come to Him. To those of us who know Him, this verse also reminds us that He hears our prayers. Whatever may be on your mind, friend, tell Him! Come to Him. Rest in Him. Make time in your day for Him. It will change your life!

When I read this verse, I thought, "I'm coming, Lord, I'm coming!" And the good news is is that He is waiting for each of us with open arms.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Welcome Home, Vintage Van, All of Me Alpha, Shake It Off Alpha, Texture Tiles 4, Fill Me Up, and Gear Up. I spritzed my page with water first and then applied acrylic paint. As needed, I spritzed more water to blend the colors a little. I stamped the words and scene directly on the page. I want them completely black. So, after stamping, I went over the images with a black marker. I stamped the van on sticker paper so it would stand out. I colored it with alcohol markers.

I hope you have a blessed week! Andrea

Is Not My Word Like Fire?

Hey friends!  I want to talk about fire this week and how God's Word is like fire, just as He says here in Jeremiah 23:29.

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord,

“And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

First, fire purifies and cleanses.  Wildfires clean out the dead and decaying underbrush and trees in forest, allowing for new, healthy plants to take root and grow.  Much the same way, God's word clears the decay out of our lives and makes room for fresh starts and new growth.  Psalm 119:9 says "How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your word" and in John 15:3, Jesus says, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."

Fire also provides light.  Before electricity, homes were lit by candle light and oil lamps.  God's word also lights our paths and drives out darkness. The Bible points us to salvation, which God wants for us all.  Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path."

Fire can also burn.  God's word touches our conscience and burns our hearts when we behave in ways that are displeasing to the Lord.  It allows us to feel what grieves Him.  Does your conscience burn when you read Matthew 5:43-48?  Mine does!  

One of my favorite attributes about fire is that it warms us when we are cold!  There's nothing better than coming in from the cold and being able to warm up by a crackling fire.  God's word does that for us as well.  It encourages us when we are down, it melts our cold hearts when this fallen world attempts to harden them and it warms our souls.  Psalm 34:10 says, "...But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

I wanted to do a stained glass look for this page, so I found an image of one online that I liked and used Procreate to roughly trace it, changing up the shape of the flames in several places.  I printed it and traced it in my Illustrating Bible.  I stamped my title and heat embossed the lettering using black embossing powder.  Then I used an embossing pen to trace my lines and used black embossing powder on my image as well.  I colored it in with watercolor and added a white outline to my lettering.  I used a new set, called Old Fashioned Alpha and my favorite, All of Me Alpha to create my title.

Thank you for checking out my post & until next time, catch up with me on Instagram & Facebook @simplyjillsjourney.

Jill

I Lift My Eyes to the Hills

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

Hello friends!  I hope you are well.  I've been on a bit of a hiatus for a couple of months, to recharge and rejuvenate.  I needed a break from the internet and social media...or the media in general.  We even took a break from real life!  We spent a week on vacation in the NC mountains.  This was our view.  

We stayed at a lake house with mountains rising up all around us.  The water was crystal clear and cool and refreshing.  The weather was perfect, with crispy evenings and warm days.  Mountain laurel and rhododendrons dotted the shore with white flowers.  It was God's creativeness on full display!

  

There is something so peaceful about spending time in the Lord's creation.  It was just what I needed!  I felt so small next to the towering mountains, yet closer to the Father, all at the same time.

There is so much going on in the world right now and if you are feeling overwhelmed by it all, I encourage you to unplug and spend some time with God in the great outdoors.

I wanted to document my gratitude to God, for allowing us this time of rest and rejuvenation.  I know in my time of need, my help comes from the Lord. 

I used my Psalms & Proverbs Illustrating Bible and painted a scene that reminded me of our trip using mostly distress paint and some other acrylic paints.  I used the All of Me alpha and Loop da Loop Alpha to create my title. 

Until next time, catch up with me on Instagram & Facebook @simplyjillsjourney. 

Jill

Forgive my Hidden Faults...

Hi friends,

I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between apathy, silence and complicity lately. Often these sins go unnoticed because they are hidden and not easily seen or identified within ourselves. I'm reminded of Psalm 19:12 where the psalmist prays, "But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults" and Psalm 139:24 where the psalmist asks God to "see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

In the times in which we find ourselves, being faced with the challenge of racial prejudice, I know it is all too easy to not see these hidden faults and offensive ways within ourselves. That's why we need to have the courage to ask God to reveal these dark corners of our hearts, and not be surprised or offended when he uses our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ to shine the light.

The willingness to open our heart to God's scrutiny requires humility and courage, because we need to acknowledge that we do not know all there is to know about ourselves, and that we may well have hidden sin that will be ugly and painful to confront. One of the ways that God reveals our hidden faults is through Scripture, whether through our personal devotional reading, or through preaching, or by listening to or reading the teaching of those who have studied Scripture and share the wisdom they have gained through books, podcasts or videos. I am grateful for how God speaks through these brothers and sisters in the faith to reveal truth about himself, as well as about me.

I used my gel plate with acrylic paints and stencils to create the background on this page. I stamped the dandelion from Blessings in Disguise over the background and stamped the text with a combination of All of Me Alpha, Let's Do This and Healer of my Heart, along with some alpha stickers. I stamped the broken heart image from Healer of my Heart and coloured with pencils. I stuck a printed Blue Morpho Butterfly in light grey onto the back so it looks partially hidden and blended into the background. Here are the sets I used:

I pray that we would all have the courage and humility to ask the Lord to search our hearts for hidden faults and to forgive us and teach us how to live our lives cleansed of these sins. Thank God that he is faithful to answer our prayer!

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Blessed Justice...

Hi friends,

I've been thinking a lot about justice lately, particularly in the light of events going on in the world at the moment, with many people being treated unjustly because of skin colour. I did a search for the word 'justice' in the Bible and there are so many scriptures that show God's heart for justice.

One of the verses I found was in Psalm 106:3, which says 'Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.' God is just and he desires that his children are just in all their actions. There are so many scriptures that demonstrate God's heart for justice. Over and over again God tells his people to look after the orphan, the widow and the stranger, and to do justice for the oppressed.

Psalm 89:14 and Psalm 97:2 say that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne. These qualities and related actions are the foundation of God's rule and as his children, they should be the foundation of how we live our lives on earth in relation to those around us. Psalm 106:3 emphasises the 'all times' nature of this way of living - this is not something we can dip in and out of when convenient, but it how we should be desiring to live every day, in every decision. The only way we can do this is through the help of the Holy Spirit, who leads us in God's ways when we ask him for wisdom and yield to him in obedience.

I created this page in my Journaling Psalter using acrylic paints; stamping and embossing the clocks from Time Well Spent (June's Stamp of the Month) with white embossing powder. I added some stencilling with Nuvo embellishment mousse. The text was stamped using All of Me Alpha, Bold & Outline Caps Alpha, Armor of God and Typewriter Blocks Alpha. Here are the sets I used:

I pray that we would follow after God's heart for justice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and the commands of Scripture to observe justice and do righteousness at all times.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

The Root....

{jane bosi}

I'm sharing my first journaling project of 2017!  I'm not much for resolutions and stuff like that.  I try to take life day to day and am always trying to be my best self!

I did, however, spend the first weekend of the new year, like I spend many, creating and reflecting on the Word.  This is also my first free hand drawing....it was scary-ish, but I had some awesome alphabet sets from Sweet 'N Sassy to pull it all together.  All of Me Alpha, Shake It Off Caps, Shake It Off  Lowercase.

My study started with Romans 12 and the advice to not conform to this world but to be transformed.....sage and wonderful advice!  You can see from my under lines, I find this message noteworthy and to be remembered.  As it happens often, my study turned to a wandering through the word backwards from where I was (kind of like how my life works) and I found a true gem without meaning to look for it.  I love how His Word so richly meets us where we are and provides insight and inspiration we aren't even aware we need!

Romans 11:18-20:  "...remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.  Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."  This is true.  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.  So do not become proud, but fear."

All those times I try to fix or figure things for myself--I need to be reminded that it is not me, but the Root that supports me.....such a hard lesson at times, but a good place to dwell, especially at the start of a new year.

 Enjoy--Jane

I got crafty with: