Desert Lessons of 2020

 

Deuteronomy 8:1-5

"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 

He humbles you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not line on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you."

Shew that was a longer excerpt than I usually share, but its all too good and too poignant to leave out any  of it. Am I right?! This CRAZY season we are in never seems to stop getting crazier! We had an earthquake here in North Carolina a couple weeks ago, and we never get earthquakes here! So, just add it to the crazy list of 2020. ✓

Through all of these crazy and stressful moments, you can't help but ask yourself "What can I be learning from this time?" Though hard times and difficult to go through, God does not walk us through those hard times for no reason. Dark times can be gifts from God if we let him teach us what he's trying to teach us. Our pastor shared 4 things that he thinks we can learn from this "desert" season we're in. And he called is a Desert season because the word desert means uninhabited. And we are definitely in some uninhabited/unprecedented times for sure!

 

The 4 Desert Lessons God May 

Want Us to Remember From 2020

1. We need to remember how God led us...

Just because we can't see where we are going in the future, doesn't mean God isn't leading us! He led Moses through the desert for forty years, and his people had to continue to trust him. 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

2. We need to remember how God tested us...

God keeps his promises and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm. At the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, 

and so provide you with a way out.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

3. We need to remember how God provided for us...

"He humbles you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not line on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years." Deuteronomy 8:3-4

4. We need to remember how God disciplined us...

A parent disciplines their child not because they don't love them, but because they DO! A parents job is to shape their children into good people. And sometimes that means discipline. God does the same with each of us. 

"Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:5

I hope you found some value in this sermon as I did. I love to record life moments and lessons in the pages of my bibles. It will be something I can look back on tomorrow, next year or years from now and they we be just as important and relevant as they are right now. The bibles I work in are also going to be gifts to my children when they are older. So I am filling them with not only artwork, but with the knowledge and wisdom of our creator. 

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

IG: @faith.and.creativity

Let's Do This 

Landscape Silhouettes 

Messy Stamped Alpha

Typewriter Blocks Alpha

Classy Script Alpha

Grunge Elements 2

God's Timing for God's Glory

"It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." (John 11:4)

Hey guys! It's Deeds!

So glad that you're here today.  My life has settled into yet another new normal for now; my kids have all finished up there schooling, grades are completed, and smiles are big!  Including my own!

Today, I'm in John 11.  This is a recent favorite passage of scripture.  The story of Jesus picks up where a dear friend Lazarus has fallen sick, then dies.  Why is this a recent favorite? I'm so glad you asked.  It's such a sweet yet gripping account of love, time, grace, confusion, death, life, and so much more.  Much more, I've been convicted by seeking God's glory in all things, especially His timing. This chapter reads...

"Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”  28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”  38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 

(John 11:1-44, italics mine)

Are you moved?  Can you join these hearts as they go from a weeping hopelessness and confusion, to full on shock and wonder?
This indeed is a mighty passage of scripture, showing us plainly that Jesus as God the Son has full power, full control, full authority in heaven and on Earth. He commands the physical realm as well as the spiritual realm.  Raising someone from the dead is just one of MANY things He does in response to the pleas that surround Him.  I encourage us all to look a bit more deeply into the context of this story, for there is extensive reasoning behind the works of Jesus on our behalf...
When darkness looms, tragedy strikes, pain ensues, trouble comes, someone dies, we look and pray to God to heal and fix the problems; restore the good; bring about comfort; renew our condition.  Don't get me wrong; we are unmistakably encouraged to pray, to take our petitions to the Holy Throne of God, with thanksgiving.  There is help and hope, connection and communion with the Lord when we seek Him earnestly and consistently.  However, the approach to our prayer life may need to be considered: are we coming to God to fix up our lives and change the bad, the ugly and the difficult into right, bright and lovely? Or can we say that our prayers reflect the desires of our heart to get closer, go deeper and know more clearly, the person and glory of Jesus Christ our Savior?

In the passage above, we see that Jesus indeed performs the miracle.  After both Mary AND Martha fall to His feet in tears, He indeed is moved to make things good again by raising Lazarus from the dead.  He has compassion, love and tenderness toward a group of people devastated by death and loss.  It's a difficult thing to experience, and He feels it with them.
But in Jesus' own words, we also see a reason and purpose for His miracle of resurrection which is far beyond the perspective of the "here and now."  We see a call to a greater view of a grander picture that exceeds and is ultimate in all things: the glory of God.
In verse  41, JESUS prays to God.  JESUS petitions the Father.  JESUS lifts His voice to bring His requests to Him.  "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."
There are a couple of things to note here.  Firstly, Jesus is not asking God to raise Lazarus from the dead.  In fact, we've already seen in prior verses that He's planning on doing so, willing that Lazarus be made alive again to walk the earth.  But secondly, He's bringing a magnificent opportunity to the people around Him to see that He is indeed who He says He is.
The Resurrection.
The Life.
The Son of God.
The Light of the World.
And ultimately, the One who stands outside and above all creation, using the element we know as "time" as a tool to glorify Himself and bring honor and glory to God.

When we bring our petitions to God, sometimes we (at least I know I do) forget that God is outside of time and space.  He's beyond our world and our tangible experience.  He's both near and far.  He's both here and there.  He's both the beginning and the end.  He's both now and forever.  Time is of value to Him, but He is not constrained by it.  As we seek the Creator God in Jesus' name for the overabundance of situations that we know as "life," the tendency is to think and relate in terms of our present. The glory of God is made manifest in our present to be sure.  But as God who establishes everything, makes everything beautiful in its time, is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, God's purposes in our lives extend all the more wonderfully and unfathomably into eternity.  Past this life.  Past death.  Past our here and now.  Past our shake-able, broken world.  Past our loss, suffering, struggles and pain.  Past our hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
In John 11, Jesus is moved in His spirit for the humanity that surrounds Him.  He is touched with the difficulties of mortality. He is brought to tears over the brokenness that covers our hearts, our homes, our gravestones.  But He is not stopped by death.  He is not inhibited by darkness.  He is not forbidden by loss, depravity, failure, hopelessness, confusion and chaos.
As the Resurrection and the Life, Christ welcomes the opportunity to reveal God's glory in all things, here in the life of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and now in your life and mine. 
The Gospel Transformation Bible puts it this way,
"The Gospel is a story of our God doing all things well, not all things easily.  His name is Abba Father, but this does not mean that he leads his children in a life of complacent ease and comfort.  Indeed, upon hearing about Lazarus's sickness, Jesus waited to days longer before responding -- apparently so that his compassion could be revealed by a more glorious expression of divine power, expressed according to divine wisdom and timing.  God's ways are not our ways.  They are much better."
And then later, "The more deeply we know and walk with Jesus, the more readily we accept God's glory as our greatest good, even when it feels like such a momentary bad.  As 'the resurrection and the life,' Jesus is always writing better stories than we could ever pen.  Martha and Mary would soon find this to be true." (p. 1428)
As those who seek God, may we be those who trust God in all things - even His timing.
As those who trust God, may we be those who seek His glory.

Much love,
Deeds
IG: @mercies_journaled

Stamps used:
Bold & Outline Caps
Time Well Spent
Grunge Elements 2
Texture Tile 2
Classy Script
Sweet n Simple
Mini Grunge Type 

1-800-JESUS

As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Psalm 55:16

Hi dear friends,

Today, I'm focusing on Psalm 55. David began this psalm with a lament about being in the midst of adversity. One of his friends had even betrayed him. Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? That feeling of betrayal can hurt so deep. Unfortunately, people are going to hurt us- even those that love us. And we may hurt those we love. But there's One who will never betray us. And David knew Him well. In verse 16, his lament turned into a statement of faith and trust that God would save and keep him. David was so confident in God; and we can be too.

That God of David is our God, Jesus, one and the same. Jesus is with us through every betrayal. Call on Him and He will be there. He doesn't hide from us. He wants a relationship with us. Isn't that amazing?? The Creator of the universe wants a relationship with us. Mind blown!! And, He doesn't want just a casual relationship, He wants a close, personal, whole body and mind relationship. Call on Him. He'll never fail you. 1-800-JESUS, the line's always open!

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Vintage Love, School Days Alpha, and Classy Script Alpha. The new Vintage Love set is great and has a lot of neat "hidden" gems. In the center of the phone dial are the numbers "53787." That would spell out "JESUS" if you dialed it on a phone! Neat, huh? The other images have phrases on them as well. I think it's just a sweet touch to the stamps. The set was designed by Confetti Creativo by Suzanne Corson. She has a coordinating printable at her etsy shop. Find it here. I colored the page with watercolor crayons.

Have a blessed week, dear ones! Andrea

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

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

Our Tears Land in Heaven

Psalm 56:8

"You have kept count of my tossings; 

put them in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"

Have you ever cried so much that you felt you were out of tears?? That's been me lately. If you read my last post you learned that my dad passed away unexpectedly last month and I've been trying to cope with the loss. I recently went a few days were I hadn't cried any and I started to wonder what was wrong with me. I thought, my Dad just died, am I not as upset as I should be?? Of course I'm completely grief stricken by all of it. I really think I had just run out of tears for a little while. Then the next two days I cried. I haven't had to deal with grief in my life like this before so I am quickly learning the stages and how to deal. It's true when they say it comes in waves and you never really know when one may hit you and you fall apart. 

On top of that being 8 months pregnant, I try to keep myself calm and remind myself that my Dad wouldn't want me to be so upset and exhaust myself right now. So I try to keep that in mind when I can. Along with the comforting words of my earthly father, I have been finding comfort in the words and promises of our Heavenly Father! There are so many comforting verses throughout the bible when it comes to grief and a friend recently shared this one with me. 

Psalm 56:8 the NLT version says:

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

I found so much comfort in this verse! It reminded me that our pain is not in vain. It is not ignored or disregarded by God. He sees each tear we shed and collects and carries each one! And honestly I have felt a little ashamed that I haven't prayed as much as I feel I should. This verse also reminded me that each tear is a small prayer that goes to heaven when we aren't able to find the words. That's it! That's why I haven't prayed as often as I should. Putting my feelings and the actions of what has happened into words was just too hard for me! I've walked to talk to my dad so many times through all of this and I know I could pray and talk to his spirit, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do that either! Doing that was like finally admitting that all of this is real and that is the only way I can talk to him anymore. It's absolutely heartbreaking. But whether I accept this as my new reality or not, sadly it won't change the outcome, no matter how much I wish it would. 

We all grieve in our own way. There is no wrong or right way to do it because we are all unique and so are our experiences with grief. My Dad knows it's not that I haven't talked to him because I don't miss him, he knows its because it's just too hard right now.... but I will get there. And no matter what type of grief you may be going through, you will get to the place you need to be too. It will just take time. The hole that person left will never fully disappear, but each day will start to get a little less painful. God will carry our pain and our tears and help us through it! We need to continue to lean on him and He will see us through it all! 

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity 

Healer of My Heart

Classy Script Alpha 

Texture Tiles 1

Typewriter Text Background 

He Did it First

"WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US." 1 John 4:19

Hello friends!

We're right around the corner of one of the biggest and romantic holidays ever!  VALENTINE'S DAY!

I have to admit, this one may be my favorite of the holidays that don't necessarily focus on the Life of Jesus.  I love to think that it does though, because in a very real way, the very life and death of Jesus are the "heart and soul" behind our ability to love at all!

Did you know?

In the Bible it says that we are only able to love because God FIRST and FOREMOST loved us.  (Jn 4:19) 

In the beginning - the very beginning of humanity - He wrote His image on every person.  On every soul of mankind, there is "DNA" of a Master Creator, the One by whom we are loved.  This gives us unique access to a relationship with a Maker full and complete in truth and power.  The One that created the universe, spoke stars into sparkle, dug oceans into deep, also created me.  He created you.  So uniquely.  So wonderfully.  So intricately and purposefully.  (Psalm 139)

That was just the beginning.

The fall came.  The curse placed.  Man would still bear the image of God, God would still love His specially made creature.  But something happened that required immediate attention and exquisite care.  Not to mention, unfathomable Love.

As much as God shunned the evil that abounded, He even more passionately instituted the "Way" through which the curse would be lifted, and sin washed away.  Before Eve even thought to defy her loving Lord and Master, God Himself set into motion a plan that would save her, her husband and the rest of their children (us) from what we truly deserve.
Hell.
Wrath.
Punishment.
Separation.

In the stead of a curse, God, who is love (1 Jn. 4:7), condescended to the form of man in the person of Jesus the Messiah, and took all of that… all of the hell.  All of the wrath.  All of the punishment.  All of the separation.  This allowed for the guilty (us) to be blameless as He (Jesus).  What manner of love the Father has given us!  (1Jn 3:1) 
Does anyone love you like this? 
Do you love anyone like this?

Scripture says that no one loves as the Father has loved.  No one so high, mighty, lifted up, honored and adored by angels, has EVER lifted a finger to save mankind as this High and Holy God.  No one. 
This was done by One.  Only One could do it.  Jesus Christ is the lover of our souls.  He made possible the return to that sweet fellowship with God the Master.  The Great I AM is forever satisfied by this "once and for all" act of inexpressible love, that is, the death on the cross for me.  For you. 

The life and death of Jesus were both wondrous representations and expressions of the deepest, most unadulterated Love. Ever.  Forever. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life." That apostle John really knew his stuff! (John 3:16)

And so, now we are able to say, "I love you." 

I love you…

Deeds

Stamps sets used: "His Love," "Texture Tile 1,"Teeny Alpha," and "Classy Script Alpha."
Other supplies: acrylic paint, pigment inkpad, watercolor.

Enjoy a small section of the amazing words to the beautiful (and one of my favorites) hymn below!

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me

Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of your love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To your glorious rest above!