Praying for Our Kids

And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep Your commands, statutes, and decrees, and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided. 1 Chronicles 29:19 

Hi Friends!

As we all know, prayer is SO important. Today, I want to focus on praying for our kids. Now when I say "our kids," I'm not just referring to any children that may be in our families. I'm talking about the kids in our families, but also in our churches, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our communities. It is imperative that we pray for the next generation.

In 1 Chronicles 29, David knew he was close to death. He prayed to God, praising Him, and asking Him to work in the lives of the Jews and in the life of his son Solomon. The first part of verse 19 stood out to me: And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep Your commands, statutes, and decrees. Oh, how I pray this for my own 2 daughters. And that's what I journaled in my Bible. But I also pray this for the youth of this nation. Oh, how our nation would be changed if only we and our youth would be wholeheartedly devoted to God.

Prayer is powerful. Prayer is our communication with God. Let's pray, Church! Let's pray for our kids, every single one, that they would be wholly devoted to the Lord.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Consider the Wildflowers and Prayer Time. I painted the page with acrylic paint, and used a stencil with the paint to make the dots. I printed a photo of my girls out and adhered it to the page. I stamped the flowers on a hymnal page, cut them out, and added them to the page. And that's it!

Have a blessed week! Andrea

A Pattern of Grace and Mercy

"I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1: 12-17

If you were to ask me which books of the Bible are my favorite, I would definitely say 1 and 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy, a young minister, are packed full of so much wisdom and encouragement. If you consider that they are Paul's last written letters to the church, it makes them even more powerful. 💙

Paul was one of the biggest persecutors of the early Christian church until his miraculous conversion on the Damascus road. He holds none of his history back when he calls himself the foremost, or chief, of sinners. In fact, he uses his testimony to establish the saving and changing power of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. 

I particularly love what he says in this verse:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NLT)

Another translation says this:

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NKJV)

Paul doesn't hide from his past. He wants his past to show an example, a pattern, of the grace and mercy shown to all sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul doesn't just stop there! He lives the rest of his life in the service of Christ so that his entire life may show a pattern of the grace and mercy of Jesus. 

If you have a history that isn't so pretty, read this passage in 1 Timothy and know that there nothing you've done that is not redeemable under the blood of Jesus. Accept his grace and mercy and then continue to live in His grace and mercy that your life may show as a pattern and an example for others. 

Page Details

I used watered-down acrylic paint for the background of this page, then stamped the edges with Versamagic chalk ink to create a pattern of plaid and flowers along the edges. Then I splattered the page with some white paint and set aside to dry. I stamped the cross and flowers on vellum and colored with colored pencils, then used double sided tape to adhere to the page. I then stamped my title and colored in with Uniball white signo gel pen (my favorite brand of white gel pen!). 

  

  

I pray we all live in the grace and mercy offered to us by the love of Jesus this week. 

In Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

And he read it...

I find the stories of the Old Testament positively fascinating! Intrigue, political espionage, affairs, murder - the history of the early Israelites is not for the faint of heart. Rather than following God's ways, the people often did their own thing and paid a high price. 

The books of the Kings tells the stories of the kings of Israel (northern kingdom headquartered in Samaria) and Judah (southern kingdom headquartered in Judah). Nineteen kings led the nation of Israel, but not one of them followed after the Lord God. Twenty kings led the nation of Judah, and only eight followed the Lord. Eight kings out of 39!

We find the story of Judah's King Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. Josiah was only eight years old when he ascended to the throne, but even from that young age he knew he wanted to do things differently than his father and grandfather (Amon and Manasseh). He had a godly scribe and high priest who helped him follow the ways of Jehovah, and he immediately began to purge the land of idols and idol worship. When he was 18 years old, he sent Shaphan, his faithful scribe, and some other leaders to the temple to instruct Hilkiah, the high priest, to begin repairing the temple. The monies collected at the temple were to be used to pay the workers and sustain the priests. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 34:12 that "the men did the work faithfully."

While in the midst of repairing the temple, Hilkiah the priest (who just so happened to be the father of the great prophet Jeremiah) had an amazing find - the Book of the Law. 

"Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.' And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, says, Your servants have gatehered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.' Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saysing, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it before the king."

Some scholars believe this could have been the original book of of the law written by Moses! Can you imagine?! Until this point, the King only had the word that had been passed down through generations - a set of guidelines to follow, if you will. Now he had the actual written Word of God in his hands!

The Bible says in 2 Kings 22:11 when King Josiah "heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes." The hearing of God's word did a spiritual work in King Josiah. In the strongest way possible (tearing of clothes) he showed his grief and conviction of sin. After hearing the Word, King Josiah immediately sought counsel from a prophetess, read the Book of the Law to the people, and enacted sweeping reform throughout the whole land of Judah.

"Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem - the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord."

Shaphan read the book before the king and the Word of God spread. it has been forgotten and regarded as nothing more than a dusty old book. Now it was found, read, and spread. Throughout the history of Gods' people, when the Word of God is recovered and spread, spiritual revival follows. (Guzik)

God's Word has the power to convict me of my sin, just as it did for Josiah and the people of Judah.

It's amazing to me that the Word of God was so neglected in those days that it was even worth mentioning that the scribe read it, but how often do we neglect our own Word of God? How often do we go days or weeks without opening the Word? Are we like the Israelites? Maybe it's time for a heart check: Do you regularly read the Word and, if so, does it speak to your heart the way it did Josiah's?

Page Details

I used acrylic paint and stamps to create this page. I watered down the acrylic paint a bit, and then blended it as a background. I used distress oxides to stamp the flower background and added white accents and white paint splatter. I then stamped, fussy cut, and colored the typewriter with my (cheap) alcohol markers 😉

 

 

Friends, may you enjoy your time in the Word of God this week! 🙌

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

                            

Love God More

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Then tell her to help me." Luke 10:40

Dear Friends,

Look at the verse above. Can you relate to Martha? I sure can. In fact, one Thanksgiving comes to mind. We hosted Thanksgiving that year. My husband's brother and his family were with us. The family time was great. The meal was enjoyable. And then came the clean up, and I found myself all alone in the kitchen. Everyone else was in the living room enjoying each other. And I can remember thinking, "Seriously?! Is no one else going to help?!" Yes, I can certainly relate to Martha. Let's get the whole story from Luke 10:38-42:

As they went, He entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Then tell her to help me." Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed. And Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her."

You see, Martha had invited Christ in. She welcomed Him. And she wanted to serve Him. She probably wanted everything just perfect. And before she realized it, all her focus was on what she was doing and not on Him. And the work was too much. She was frustrated that she had no help. So, she went to Jesus, expecting Him to tell Mary to help her. But that's not what He said. First He pointed out the fact that she had let her service to Him make her anxious and troubled. And then, He told her that only one thing was needed. One thing- Him. Jesus is the only thing that we need! So, service is good. But our focus needs to remain on Jesus, spend time with Him. We shouldn't let service or busyness of life drown out Jesus. Martha invited Jesus in, but she didn't take the time to sit at His feet. Instead, she immediately jumped into serving. When we serve... as we live, we need to sit at Jesus' feet FIRST. And then go back to Him time and time again. Martha wasn't wrong in what she did. But, we need to fill up on Jesus before we serve Him and others. He must always be the focus and the priority. So if we find ourselves busy, busy, busy with life and service but we feel far from Jesus, then we need to stop what we're doing and sit with Him. Jesus is the good part. We need Him.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Prayer Time, Much Love, Consider the Wildflowers, and Gear Up. Prayer Time and Much Love are part of the December release. You can get Much Love for free with a $75 purchase! This is a super simple page! I just stamped the images and colored the centers of the flowers with Prismacolor pencils.

Have a blessed week, friends! Don't let the busyness of Christmas cause you to forget Jesus, the reason for Christmas. Spend time with Him every day, throughout the day. Remember, Jesus is the good part!

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Hi Friends!
Today, we're in Ecclesiastes 3. When I was studying this passage, I came across an explanation of verses 1-8 that I'd like to share with you. The source is gotquestions.org.(https://www.gotquestions.org/time-for-everything.html) It says:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a well-known passage that deals with the balanced, cyclical nature of life and says that there is a proper time for everything.In this passage, the Preacher (Solomon) says that there is a time for every matter in life. He illustrates this truth by juxtaposing opposites: fourteen pairs of contrasting activities as examples of how life is comprised of various seasons. A straightforward reading of the passage reveals several concepts:

First, the timing of our activities is important. Killing someone (Ecclesiastes 3:8) is generally considered evil and a crime, but that may change during a time of war, when defending one’s country can be considered a noble act. Dancing (verse 4) may be appropriate during a time of celebration, but it would not be appropriate for a funeral. Both our actions and the timing of our actions are important to God.

Second, these seasons in which certain pursuits are proper are appointed by God. His plan for life involves a variety of experiences and activities. Weeping may be part of life, but life is not all weeping; laughter has a place, too (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Construction is good in its time, but sometimes deconstruction is necessary (verse 3).

A key to this passage is found a few verses later: “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The proper activity at the right time, bringing about God’s purposes, is a beautiful part of God’s overall plan. A tapestry, viewed from the back, seems a chaotic and unlovely work; but the maker of the tapestry has a wise purpose for the placement of each thread.
Third, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 serves as a bridge between the first two chapters and the section that follows. People are to accept each day as a gift from the hand of God (2:24–26). Why? Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 explains it is because God has a reason and a time for all things. People may be ignorant of God’s timing (3:9–11), but they are called to enjoy life in the present (3:12–13) and trust in God’s sovereignty (3:14–15).

God offers much wisdom in the saying, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” God is sovereign. Our activity in this world is meaningful as we rely on His wisdom, His timing, and His goodness.

Page Details:

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Time Well Spent, Bold &Outline Caps, Consider the Wildflowers, Wood Backgrounds, Messy Stamped Alpha, With Love Alpha, and Sweet & Simple Alpha. Time Well Spent has clock hands; so you can make a clock out of anything! So cool! Time Well Spent is the June Stamp of the Month. You can get it for FREE with a $75 order. I used the wood background and painted the center with black acrylic paint. I embossed the numbers, and then stamped the clock hands in silver. I love SNSS alphas! If you don't like your own handlettering, or just want something different, alpha stamps are a great option. The new Bold & Outline alpha is great because you really get 2 alphas in one. You can use the solid or outline images alone, intermingled (as I did on this page), or outline the solid letters with the outline ones. It's such a versatile set as you can get so many different looks from it.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

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

Graves Into Gardens

Have you ever have an image or idea come to mind, and you just can't get it out of your head until you get it out on paper or complete it?!? That's what this page was for me. 

I heard the song Graves into Gardens from Elevation Worship this past Easter Sunday. And this song just blew me away. I was singing as we worshiped Easter morning in our living room together as a family. But this image of an old grey tombstone suddenly covered in bright flowers was burned in to my brain and I knew I had to make a journaling page about it. Knowing we had this beautiful floral stamp set Consider the Wildflowers coming out soon, I held on to my idea till I could use them and AHHH I just love how it turned out!

Graves Into Gardens By Elevation Worship Live Video

Some Lyrics:

I searched the world
But it couldn't fill me
Man's empty praise and treasures that fade
Are never enough
Then You came along
And put me back together
And every desire is now satisfied
Here in Your love (hey)

Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
(Oh, yes I know it's true)
(Come on, tell 'em, hey)

I'm not afraid
To show You my weakness
My failures and flaws, Lord, You've seen them all
And You still call me friend
'Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
There's not a place Your mercy and grace
Won't find me again.....

Below is an excerpt from Elevation Worship themselves, explaining the meaning behind this song. They explain it so well I won't even try paraphrasing it. So powerful!

"Graves Into Gardens"​ has roots in a sermon [Pastor Steven's] preached on a Bible passage found 

in 2 Kings 13.

After the prophet Elisha died, his story didn’t end there. Two Israelites were near his gravesite about to bury another man. When they saw a band of enemy raiders coming, they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21).

Pastor Steven preached that just like the resurrection miracle Elisha still had left in his bones, ​God is in the business of bringing dead things back to life. ​And i​f we’ll throw the dead areas of our lives on the bones, if we’ll believe in the power of God, if we’ll declare resurrection power 
over everything we sow, nothing will be wasted. Nothing is over.
 Nothing is finished. If God is in it, we will move forward.

As the members of Elevation Worship have corporately expressed: “Our prayer for this project is that it would serve to bring the reality of the Kingdom of God into our hearts and minds –– our entire faith is built on the truth that when Jesus hung on a cross and was placed in a tomb, it wasn’t the end. He wasn’t buried, he was only planted. What the world saw as defeat, God knew was a victory. Our faith is in a resurrected King, and the reality that resurrection 
is still happening and is possible in our own lives.”

Worship leader Chris Brown further illuminates: “We hope people are able to take a second look at what they once considered “dead” in their life. And that this project provides a new perspective that allows them to see new​ life​ in seemingly ​dead​ places. Because what God breathes on must come to life. And what we may see as a grave, God sees as a garden.”

xoxo,
Stephanie Gammon
@faith.and.creativity

Consider the Wildflowers

Skinny Minnie Alpha 

Typewriter Blocks Alpha 

Loop da Loop Alpha