Blessed Nation

Hello again, friends!

 I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  I spent a good portion of Memorial Day reflecting on my freedoms and the blessings I have because I live in this great nation.  I am thankful for the sacrifices so many throughout history have made.  It's almost incomprehensible, to think of all the lives that have been lost to protect our freedom and way of life. 

Psalm 33

¹ Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the Lord with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

⁴ For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰ The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
¹¹ But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.

¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you. 

I pray, Lord, that we never forget as a nation, where our hope comes from.  I pray we never forget the sacrifices made so that we may live as a free nation.  I pray for each and every service member, that they may seek You and know You and that they live a life in service to You, first and foremost.  Protect them, as they protect us, Lord.  I also pray for the family members of our armed forces.  I can not imagine the countless sleepless nights they endure waiting to hear from their loved ones.  Give them strength and comfort, Lord.  

Father God, thank You for the ultimate sacrifice made by your Son, that allows us a place in Heaven, if we only accept Him as our Savior!  Help us to be a nation of Christian soldiers, ready to sacrifice what ever You ask of us, for the glory of Your Kingdom.  Amen.

Page Details:

I started this page by drawing and painting the flag and flag pole, using acrylic paints.  Then I stamped the large floral cluster from Consider the Wildflowers using a light colored ink and messily colored it in with acrylic paint.  I stamped back over the image with black Stazon ink, after the paint dried.  I repeated this process with the cross from the Rustic Easter set.  I covered up my flag with pieces of paper and sprayed the sky with a light blue mister spray I made using Derwent Inktense Blocks and some water.  I added some clouds with white Distress Paint.  It was at this time, I felt like I might not have left enough room for my title and decided I would have to stamp over the top of my flag to have room.  I tried using Archival Ink to start with, but the word was getting lost in the flag.  Embossing powder to the rescue!  I used Versamark Ink with black embossing powder and the Chunky Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha to complete my title.  And because I had some stray embossing, I used some black paint splatters to finish off my page. 

(Before the title)

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

Jill

What the Lord Builds Up

I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, and all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it. Ezekiel 31:9

Hi Friends,
Today we're in Ezekiel 31. God told Ezekiel to give a message to Egypt, a message of judgment. In this message, God used Assyria as an example of what was to happen to Egypt. God likened Assyria to a large, beautiful cedar tree. This tree was greater and more beautiful than any other tree. It gave shelter to the birds and beasts. But, it was proud. It believed that its greatness came from what it had done. But, of course, God had made it what it was. So because of its pride, God tore it down (verse 11.) This picture of Assyria as a tree was a picture of Assyria's judgment. God used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Assyria when he conquered it. Assyria was very similar to Egypt- proud, self-confident, giving glory to itself rather than God. So, God's message to Egypt was what happened to Assyria will happen to you.

What's the message for us? Whatever we accomplish, it is God-given. He has given us our talents and skills. He has given us opportunities. So, we shouldn't become prideful. And if we do, if we don't give the glory to Him, He can take away what He's given. What God builds up, He can also tear down. That can be a hard message to hear, but everything on the earth and in our lives is God's. We are just His stewards. So, it's within His right to give. And it's within His right to take away. And through it all, He is good.

The message to Egypt was that their pride had brought on God's judgment. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we are free from God's wrath and have eternal life. But, if we choose to be prideful or sinful, we will have to accept God's consequences. And, sometimes, God takes away not as a consequence, but for His purpose and glory. Either way, He is just. He is good. He is right.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Scene Silhouettes: Trees, Bitty Minnie Alpha, Women of Praise, Texture Tiles 1, Texture Tiles 3, & Chunky Alpha. For the background, I applied distress oxide inks with sponge daubers. I used Chipped Sapphire, Barn Door, Rusty Hinge, and Spiced Marmalade. I highlighted the words with a white Sharpie.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

"Step Out"

Hello and Happy New Year friends!

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Jill and I'm one of the newest members of the Creative Worship team. I received my first journaling Bible in August 2017 for my birthday. My twin sister had introduced me to this amazing form of art worship just a week or so earlier. I've never known people who wrote much in their Bibles, and I've never known anyone who painted and stamped and created such beautiful pages. I was instantly hooked. Let me clarify that Bible journaling, for me and most of the community, is not about the art. The art is an outward expression of what I have read and studied, and the artwork I create on my pages help me remember the lessons I've learned. It was those beautiful pages on Pinterest and Instagram that intrigued me at first, however. I am grateful that my sister introduced me to it and for the amazing community of ladies that God has brought into my life because of it. Journaling has me in the Bible and studying the Word more than I ever have in my life.  I am so excited that Korin asked me to join this amazing group of super talented, God-fearing ladies on the Creative Worship team. If I'm being honest though, I'm also pretty nervous.  I’ve always been a bit of an introvert and have never really liked stretching the limits of my comfort zone. I tend to over-think anything I put out there for others to see, so the fact that this is my very first blog post...EVER, has me second guessing everything I type! 😂    

That brings me to how I chose my “One Little Word” for 2020. Have you heard of OLW? Much of the Bible Journaling community and other crafters, choose a word at the beginning of the year to focus on. We use it throughout the year to study, write about, craft with and reflect upon. I’ve been praying for weeks, for the word or phrase that God wanted me to focus on for the year.  Last year, I heard “Change” as clearly as if someone spoke it out loud to me.  This year, I’ve received much more subtle nudges.  I made a list of the words that I felt God was laying on my heart.  They include: Move, Grow, Purpose, Action, Intentional, Start, Begin, Do, Equipped and finally, Step Out.

I can definitely see a pattern in the words God has given me.  He’s calling me to step out of my comfort zone.  He’s reminding me that over and over in the Bible, He uses people who feel unworthy of the calling He has bestowed upon them.  He’s asking me to face my fears and trust Him to equip me for what lies down the road. He's giving me a call to action, to do more for His glory. Wow! That's super scary!

As I sat down to journal, I was led to Matthew 14:22-33

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone. ²⁴ Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. ²⁵ Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Just as Peter had to leave the relative safety of the boat to go to Jesus in the raging sea, when we choose to walk in faith, we may have to leave our comfort zones for something that seems scary. BUT GOD...He's there, right beside us, waiting to catch us if we fall. Stepping out in faith requires us to trust God and His infinite wisdom, to guide us safely on our journey. We may have to let go of what we think we control and trust the one that made it all.

My prayer for 2020, is that I will not be afraid to “Step Out” in faith, trusting that Jesus is there to cover me in grace, even if I stumble.

Page Details:

I did a simple watercolor background for this page and used Chunky Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, and Women of Praise stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to create my title and stamp the silhouette of the girl in the water.  I used some white acrylic paint on a Q-tip to create the foam in the water.

You can catch up with me on Instagram @simplyjillsjourney

Until next time, I wish you many blessings,

Jill

Fear + Delight = Happiness..?

Hi friends,

There is a lot of focus on happiness in our world today. Many, many products and programmes are offered as sources of happiness (in fact, much of the advertising industry is driven by the desire for happiness). Often, we associate happiness with having our desires fulfilled and our dreams coming true. But what does the Bible say about happiness?

The word 'happiness' in some of our English translations is translated 'blessed' in others - they come from the same Hebrew word. I highly recommend doing a word study of happy/blessed in Scripture to see what the whole counsel of God's Word says about this topic. In Psalm 112 the psalmist writes 'Happy is the person who fears the Lord, taking great delight in his commands.'

The concept of fearing the Lord is such a foreign one in today's world. It is even more foreign to associate fear of the Lord with happiness, but that is exactly what this Psalm does. Fear in this case, when directed toward the Lord, is not terror but reverence and awe. When we stand in awe of God and take delight in his commands to us (which is a natural response when we reverence the source of those commands) we are blessed. This may not result in instant and continuous happiness (as we imagine happiness to be), but there is a state of contentment, peace and joy that we can live in when we fix our eyes on the Lord in reverence and delight.

I love the beautiful poinsettia image from the November Stamp of the Month called Poinsettia Greetings. I stamped the image on watercolour card and embossed with white embossing powder then watercoloured. I cut the image out, then cut it in half so that I could use each half in a different place on the page. This page in my Illustrating Bible had lots of space to play with, so I created a honeycomb background using acrylic paints and a stencil, then stamped the verse over the top using Classy Script Alpha, Bitty Minnie Alpha and Chunky Alpha.

Next time we feel like we are lacking happiness in our lives, it might be a good idea to examine our fear of the Lord and our delight in his commands. This isn't a formula, but it is a guide to show us what true happiness looks like. I don't know about you, but I need to grow in experiencing this kind of happiness.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Perfect Peace

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

As we prepare to head into another crazy busy holiday season, I wanted to chat for a minute about peace. We all want peace - peace in our heart, peace with our family, peace with our friends and neighbors - but peace can be hard to find during the craziness of the holidays. Isaiah 26 talks about finding peace, and not just any peace, but perfect peace. David Guzik's commentary on Isaiah 26 tells us that the Hebrew term for perfect peace is actually shalom shalom. This shows how in Hebrew, repetition communicates intensity. It isn't just shalom; it is shalom shalom, perfect peace.

Thankfully, the verse doesn't just tell us about perfect peace, it shows us how we can acquire perfect peace - by keeping our mind fixed on the Lord. He is the source of our peace, and when we keep our mind settled and established on the Lord Himself, we can be kept in His perfect peace. 

The Bible talks an awful lot about the importance of our mind. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our mind (Matthew 22:37). We are transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). We can have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 3:19), but to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). The Christian life is not an unthinking life of just doing, or experiencing, but it is also about thinking, and where we set our mind is essential in our walk before the Lord. (David Guzik)

To be kept in this perfect peace, our mind must be stayed. The Hebrew word sawmak comes from the rot "to prop," and has the idea "to lean upon or take hold of ... bear up, establish, uphold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay, sustain" (Strong's Dictionary).

So what props you up? What does your mind lean on? What sustains your mind throughout your day? If the answer is anything other than Christ Himself, you'll find yourself lacking the peace you so desire. To have perfect peace, you mind can't just occasionally come to the Lord; it has to be stayed on Him. 

I created this page to illustrate the perfect peace that can be found in Jesus this holiday season. I used acrylic paints, blank ink, clear iridescent embossing powder, and the Chunky Alpha and Cheerful Snowmen stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to create this page.  

Wishing you a holiday season full of peace in Jesus Christ!

Janelle

@journalingjoy

P.S. Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is turning 12 this month!! 💖 They are celebrating with a sale all month long: 12% off your entire order (no code needed). Click on the stamp sets below to shop. 😍

 

The Lord Alone Exalted

The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased;

 and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. Isaiah 2:17

Hi Friends!

Today I'm in Isaiah 2. This chapter begins by speaking of the coming restoration of Jerusalem. Then it speaks of a time of judgment. This is when humanity will be judged and found wanting. Only God will be exalted.

Right now, our world is full of pride. Pride has always been one of the roots of sin. When Lucifer rose up against God, it was because of pride. Isaiah 14:12-15, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit."

He was pretty full of himself. And  we can be pretty full of ourselves. But he wasn't successful, of course. God through him and his followers out of heaven. And we- the human race- will be humbled as well. We can't match God. We may think we're "all that," but compared to and without God, we are nothing.

As believers, hopefully, we are exalting God through our words and actions every day. But one day, EVERY knee will bow to Him. I'm looking forward to that day!

Page Details:
I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Succulents, Classy Script Alpha, and Chunky Alpha. I also used a circular gel plate to apply the acrylic paints. I just recently bought gel plates and they are available at SNSS!! They are such a fun way to apply acrylics! The plate is flexible silicone. You just brayer paint onto it and then apply to the page. I'm looking forward to learning more ways to use them too. I outlined the center circle with a Micron pen.

Have a blessed week! May He alone be exalted! Andrea

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