"In the Morning" Hymnal Journaling

 

In the morning when I rise / In the morning when I rise

In the morning when I rise / Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus / Give me Jesus

You can have all this world / But give me Jesus

And when I am alone / Oh, when I am alone

And when I am alone / Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus / Give me Jesus

You can have all this world / But give me Jesus

And when I come to die / Oh, when I come to die

And when I come to die / Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus / Give me Jesus

You can have all this world / But give me Jesus

Isn't that a beautiful hymn?  Give me Jesus! Yes! The first printing of this song dates back to 1845 in a Methodist hymnal. However, the 1867 compilation Slave Songs of the United States includes this spiritual as a favorite among former slaves in South Carolina. I can easily understand the powerful words to this song strengthening and encouraging anyone going through a difficult time. When we seek Jesus first, in the morning, we'll be victorious over anything and everything we encounter throughout the rest of the day.

I knew I wanted to journal this hymnal page, but my first attempt was a FAIL!  Well, nothing created in heartfelt worship is really a fail, but I was definitely not happy with the results. I didn't like how the lightly stamped words didn't stand out enough against the watercolor background. Nor did I like the placement of the words and image. So I set it aside for a day, and came back to it the next evening. Here's a photo of the first attempt.

First Page Attempt

I pulled out some white, yellow, orange, and red acrylic paint, because I knew that medium was heavy enough to cover up what I had previously done, but light enough to allow me to still see the score of the music.  

Second Attempt

 

I created an ombre effect with the colors, and then, using the Good Morning stamp set, I stamped the words and images over the background.  I added some paint to the sunrise image, and used a white gel pen to highlight the words and the sun's rays.  I added white, orange, and red splatters, which made me think of droplets of sunlight. I added a tab made from washi tape and the phrase "Not today Satan" from the Faith Wordfetti stamp set.  I finished it off with the some black and white washi (to help balance out all the color) and an orange puffy clip, which reminds me of the sun. 

 

I am much happier with the second attempt. I love its brightness and image placement, and the splashes of sunlight! Which is your preference?  

Faith Wordfetti Stamp Set

Good Morning Stamp Set

Thanks for stopping by.  You can follow me on Instagram @julesk.jewels

 or my YouTube channel Jules Jewels 

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

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

The Light of the World

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

John 8:12

One of my favorite vacations when I was young was an epic family road trip from Michigan to Tennessee. We had one of those giant blue Econoline vans (you know, the kind with the blue velvet seats and little black and white box t.v. in the middle console and the ladder up the back of the van 😉), and spent the better part of two weeks driving through the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky. We slept in the van most of the time and went on adventure after adventure. It was honestly the best time together as a family and one of my favorite family memories.

One of our stops on the epic road trip was a cave tour in Kentucky. It was beautiful and fascinating. I will never forget following the guides into the depths of the cave. Once we were deep in the cave, our group stopped and the guides gave some details about the cave and then they told us they were going to turn out the lights. They wanted to show us how dark the cave would be in the absence of all light. Then they switched off the floodlights and the cave was plunged into darkness. This was a darkness I had never experienced before. 

I waved my hand in front of my face. I could feel it there, but I couldn't see it. I couldn't even see a shape or a shadow. 

I couldn't see my mom sitting right next to me. 

I couldn't see my dad standing a couple feet away.

I couldn't see anything. 

The darkness closed in all around me, like a dark, oppressive cloak. My mind raced. What if the lights didn't come back on? What if something happened and we were stuck in the cave in the dark forever? I started to panic. 

And then the lights came back on. 

It was only for a moment, but the darkness had consumed me. There was not even a glimmer of light in the depths of that cave - only complete and utter darkness. 

My friends, that is the perfect example of a world without Christ. Without Christ, we would live in complete and utter darkness. We would be consumed by the dark. We would stumble around life not seeing anything in front of us or beside us. Lost. 

But Jesus. 

He is the Light. He pierces through the darkness of this world and brings light to all those who follow Him. 

What a dungeon the world would be without the sun! 

So would it be without Christ by whom light came into the world! 

Matthew Henry has this to say: 

It's not enough just to see the light, we must follow it. It's the happiness of those who follow Christ that they should not walk in darkness. They shall not be left destitute of those instructions in the way of truth which are necessary to keep them from destroying error. They shall have the light of life, that knowledge and enjoyment of God which will be to them the light of spiritual life in this world and of everlasting life in the other world, where there will be no death or darkness. 

So often, we choose to walk in darkness rather than light. 

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

John 3:19

We choose to stay in the dark rather than follow the light because we are comfortable in the dark - we like our sin and our status quo. Don't shut your eyes to the Light. Let the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ push back the dark and follow in His truth today.💜

The "I AM" Statements of Jesus

Jesus' emphatic "I Am" statement in John 8:12 is one of seven such statements in the book of John. In the book of Exodus, the mighty God of the universe calls Himself I AM to His servant Moses. Jesus completes the statement given to Moses in Exodus. He is the Light of the World and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). 

This month, I'm studying all seven of the "I Am" statements:

• "I am the bread of life."
• "I am the light of the world."
• "I am the door of the sheep."
• "I am the resurrection and the life."
• "I am the good shepherd."
• "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
• "I am the true vine." 

  

I would love to encourage you to do a study on the "I Ams" as well. There is so much to be learned from these passages of Scripture and I'm looking forward to what God will teach me in these next few weeks. Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram and we can compare notes. 😉

Page Details

This page didn't turn out anything like it thought it would, to be honest. I was going for a watercolor galaxy feel, but I prepped my page with gesso so it wouldn't bleed through to the art I had on the back side of the page and the watercolors reacted differently to the page. It ended up turning into more of a mess of purple and pink colors. 🤣 Plus, the watercolors leaked under the verses I had masked off. 🤦Still, I splattered the page with some metallic and glitter paint, drew some stars, used some texture stamps and called it a win. I've been journaling for 2.5 years now and I'm still learning as I go along. It goes to show you that even though a page doesn't turn out how you thought it would, it can be a fun learning process. Spending time with the Lord is what truly matters. 💗

I used a three different stamp sets (I Am, Texture Tiles 1, and Faith Wordfetti), watercolors, and a white uni-ball gel pen for this page. 

  

Love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Perfect Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 

Dear Friends,

Peace. It's what we all want, right? There are different definitions for peace. One is freedom from disturbance or tranquility. Another is a state in which there is no war. It's probably safe to say we'd like both. The peace Jesus is talking about in this verse is the freedom from disturbance- no matter what's going on in the world. In this context, peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.

From gotquestions.org: Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). When the “God of all peace” comes to live inside a believing heart (1 Corinthians 6:19), He begins to produce His own characteristics in that life. Inner peace comes from knowing that circumstances are temporary and that God is sovereign over all (Isaiah 46:9–11). Peace comes from exercising faith in the character of God and His Word. We can have peace in the midst of challenges when we remember that “all things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We can choose peace rather than give way to fear and worry. Inner peace resulting from a relationship with God allows us to keep things in proper perspective. We can accept difficult situations on earth by remembering that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are commanded to “live in peace” with others, as far as it is up to us (Romans 12:18; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 12:14). To live at peace means we interact with those around us in accordance with our own wholeness of mind. Our reactions to circumstances can bring peace to an otherwise chaotic situation. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). And James 3:18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” God’s desire is that we who know Him learn to live in peace within ourselves first. Then we can radiate that peace to others, bringing calmness and wisdom to tense situations, and in so doing be lights in the world (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:14–15).

The world is pretty chaotic right now. But Jesus gives us perfect peace. We just have to rest in Him, and share His truth with others. And, boy, does this world need His truth now more than ever. Rest in Him. Love others. Share Jesus. Be at peace.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Way Maker, Send Me, Gear Up, Texture Tiles 1, and Faith Wordfetti. I stamped the texture stamps around the world to symbolize the division and chaos that seems to be consuming us. I used watercolor crayons and Prismacolor pencils.

Have a blessed week. Andrea

Wait quietly and Trust

Psalm 62:1-2

"I wait quietly before God, 

for my victory comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will never be shaken."

This is one of those pages where I sat down with a small idea of what I wanted to do but no clue where it would go. As I started working I played a little here, a little there, and after meditating on this verse while I worked I ended up with a page that I just love! Life is a little that way. We don't know exactly how things will turn out, but we have to give it a shot and trust in God for what the future will hold. 

We all had many plans that were either cancelled or abruptly halted recently. Now, we feel like we're left waiting, endlessly, for things to pass and life to get back to the way they were before. Right now more than every it is important that we put all our faith and all our trust in God. He alone knows how all of this will end and when. It's unsettling that we don't know right? Yea... I know I hate it too! But unfortunately that's out of our control, as most things are. 

As Psalm 62 states, we need to "wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation." He will bring all of this to an end, we just have to have faith. Sometimes it's hard to trust what you can't see or trust in the unknown, but that's something we as Christians know is a very powerful thing. Having faith in what you can't see! 

God is bigger than everything! He is bigger than our fears, bigger than our world, and bigger than this coronavirus for sure! He is our fortress and we will not be shaken!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity

Seek Him

Faith Wordfetti

Be a Blessing

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Galatians 6:10

In all honesty, I had a completely different topic planned for today's blog post, but recent events have moved me in a different direction. I'm not going to talk about the response to the virus - anxiety, panic, trust, confidence, or faith. Those topics have all been covered by biblical scholars and authors far more qualified than me, and I think as Christians we know what our response should be to the crisis that lies before us. What I am going to challenge you (and me) on today is being a blessing in a difficult time. 

In yesterday's sermon, our pastor spoke on Galatians 6, and verse 10 really jumped out at me. There are lots of opportunities to be a blessing right now, aren't there? Whether it's calling to check in on an elderly church member or relative, sending a friend a 'thinking of you' card, picking up groceries for a neighbor, offering to help babysit for a friend whose children are unexpectedly home for the next three weeks due to school closures - whatever it is, you can be a blessing. Take a minute to think of what you can do to be a help and encouragement to those around you. 

I created the background of this page with Distress Oxides, embossing powder, and stamps. 💜

Praying you all stay safe and healthy during the coming weeks,

Janelle

@journalingjoy

You can find the stamps sets used through the links below: 

  

I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord

Psalm 23:6

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23 is a very popular one. Even people that don't know the bible very well can probably recite a line or two from this particular psalm. God's timing can be so perfect can't it?! We released this gorgeous stamp just after my Grandma passed away. My grandma Joanne Bunch, (known to her grandkids as Nanny) went home to be with her Lord on February 18th. I created this page in memory of her and her love for the lord. 

Nanny was my mother's mom. She faced numerous strokes over the last decade, always refusing to give up or give in to them. My grandma was a fighter. But sadly, each stroke took a little more of her with each one she had. She slowly lost more of her memory and eventually had trouble eating and drinking. Before her strokes she was very active at her senior center and always taking educational classes to keep her brain strong. She would always write and tell me about the things she was doing to continue learning in her older age. So it's always bothered me that towards the end it was strokes completely out of her control that ended up ruining her mind. We don't always understand why things happen the way they do, but it's not for us to understand while we are here on earth.

My grandma was very strong in her faith! She had no doubt in her mind that she would one day go to heaven and spend eternity with Jesus. At her funeral I heard stories about when she was younger with her own young kids at home. On Sundays she would gather all 4 of her children in the car, and still pick up other neighborhood kids to make sure they would hear the word of God too!

I showed this memory page to my mom for her approval before sharing it will you all. She smiled at the photo of her mom as a young girl maybe 6 years old. She then told me that the verse I underlined.... "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" was one of her favorite lines in one of her favorite hymns! I didn't know that and it made me feel even better about this page I created.

I have no doubt in my mind, that Nanny is looking and smiling down on all of her family and friends.  She is happy, in no pain at all, remembers all of us, and is enjoying eternity with her savior! This is my last photo with her before she started losing her memory. This was in 2012 when I spent the weekend with her visiting local mountain craft fairs and enjoying gourmet cupcakes. I love you Nanny! Thank you for being such a great example of a God fearing woman for us all! We love you!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity

Psalm 23

Typewriter Blocks Alpha 

Faith Wordfetti