Just Enough

 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth." 1 Kings 17:14

Hi Friends,

Have you ever felt desperate? I think that's probably what this widow was feeling when Elijah spoke to her. She had so very little that she was planning to prepare the last meal for herself and her son. And Elijah asked her to use what she had on him. When we're desperate, we often don't think about others outside of our closest family and friends, certainly not a stranger. But when Elijah made his request, he also gave her a promise from God. She would have just enough. Just enough flour and just enough oil to make it through until the end of the drought. And she had just enough faith to do what Elijah asked.

Just enough. We often think that "just enough" is not enough. In the western world, it's all about excess. We want more and more. We have to keep up with the Joneses. We need the newest, the biggest, and the brightest.

I think this story is beautiful in the fact that God provided for them but it wasn't all at once. It wasn't in excess. It was just enough. God can certainly give us more than enough and He often does. But sometimes we need to be satisfied with just enough. And when we've got just enough, aren't we more dependent on God? Aren't we more likely to go to Him? When we have more than enough it's easy to begin thinking we are self-sufficient.

Just enough can be hard for those of us used to more than enough. But what a rich experience it can be!

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Boss Lady Alpha, Watch Your Mouth, and In His image. Simple page of stamping. I used a pencil to shadow the letters.

Have a blessed week! Andrea 

Happy or Holy?

 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God 

and obey it. Luke 11:28

Hi Friends!

Have you heard or seen, "God wants you happy." or "God wants you holy." or "God wants you holy, not happy." I have. In fact, I've journaled a few pages with "happy" crossed out and focusing on "holy." And here's the thing. I believe 100% that God wants us holy. Why, because He tells us so again and again in the bible- 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 12:2, and 2 Timothy 1:9 to name a few. The world on the other hand, tells us to do what makes us happy. And therein lies the problem. What we think might make us happy usually is fleeting if we are looking to wordly things to make us happy. See, I think God wants us holy AND happy- but not happy because of worldly things, not happy because we're doing whatever we want. We find true happiness by following God's way which, of course, is holy. Holiness, being set apart for God, leads to happiness. Happiness and holiness are both found in Christ!

So, if my answer to my question is that God wants us both happy AND holy, let's talk about happiness. We often hear believers say that there is a difference between joy and happiness. In fact, I've said that myself. But in studying this verse, I came across this from gotquestions.org: "It is common today to hear believers speak of a difference between joy and happiness. The teaching usually makes the following points: 1) Happiness is a feeling, but joy is not. 2) Happiness is fleeting, but joy is everlasting. 3) Happiness depends on circumstances or other people, but joy is a gift from God. 4) Happiness is worldly, but joy is divine. 

But there is no such distinction made in scripture, and forcing a distinction between two words that are so obviously close in meaning is unnecessary. If a person is joyful, then he or she is happy. There's no such thing as glum joy. We cannot drain joy of emotion and still call it "joy." When God's Spirit gives us joy, then we are happy people."

As I said before, there are different places we can find happiness. So the choice is ours. Will we look to the world for happiness/joy? Or will we look to God for it?

You might be saying, Luke 11:28 doesn't even have "happy" or "joy" in it! The word translated as "blessed" in this verse is the Greek word, "makarios." It is most often translated as "blessed" in our English Bibles. But it also means "happy," and is translated as such a few times- John 13:17, Acts 26:2, Romans 14:22, 1 Cor 7:40, 1 Peter 3:14, and 1 Peter 4:14. 

So what is Jesus saying here in Luke 11:28? HAPPY are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Believers should be happy and holy because they hear God's Word and live it.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Beautiful You, Trust in the Lord, In His Image, Mini Bold Print Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, Decorative Frame Toppers, Grunge Dot Stencil, and Chicken Wire Stencil. I applied distress oxides to the page using a craft brush. Then I used the stencils to add to the background and stamped the words on top.

Have a HAPPY and Holy week! :)  Andrea   

God of the hills and valleys

Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the Lord: "Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 

- 1 Kings 20:28

King Ahab of Israel and King Ben-Hadad of Syria had long been in conflict with one another. Many battles had been fought between the two countries. In 1 Kings, we again see the leaders coming to conflict. This time, however, Syria made a grave mistake: they questioned the power of the God of Israel.

"Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.' And he listed to their voice and did so." - 1 Kings 20:23-25

Ben-Hadad's army leaders thought that the Israelite God could only help them while they fought in the mountains, and that their God would have no power if the battle was fought on the plains. They wrongly assumed that the Israelite God was confined to the hills, and would not, or could not, come down from them. Thus, they advised Ben-Hadad to change the fighting ground from the hills to the plains, where they would surely have the advantage.

Big mistake!

God took the bad theology of the Syrians as a personal insult. He is God the Creator of all heaven and earth. From the highest mountain top to the lowest valley, He created it all! He is not confined to one space, He is omnipresent and omnipotent. He is not a god created by human hands, He is the God of ALL - both the hills and the valleys. Because the Syrians had blasphemed God and His power and omnipotence, God gave Ahab the victory to preserve the honor of His own name. 

"And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber." - 1 Kings 20:29-30

If you go back and read a couple chapters before, you will find the story of Elijah and his encounter with Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. We all know the story - Elijah confidently proves God's mighty power and defeats the prophets of Baal. Jezebel is so enraged she calls for Elijah's death, and Elijah runs for his life. In a matter of days, Elijah goes from an extreme high to an extreme low. So low, in fact, that he just wants to lay down and die.

"And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And  he prayed that he might die, and said, 'It is enough! No, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!'"

You know what happens? An angel of the Lord comes to minister to him in the wilderness, and then the Lord Himself speaks to Elijah in a still, small voice to encourage and direct him in his next steps.

Elijah's high is quickly followed by a low. This is the way of life, even in our spiritual life. Our highs are often quickly followed by our lows. But as Elijah shows - God is with us in both the highs and lows of life. He is the God of the hills and valleys, the Creator of all; and He is the God of the highs and lows, the Comforter of weary hearts. 

My friends, I pray that your heart would be encouraged today knowing that our God is the God of the hills and valley, the highs and lows of life. There is none like Him, no not one. Just as God proved His might to the Syrian army, just as He comforted Elijah in the wilderness, so will He do for you. 💙

God is Enough

This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. Exodus 7:17

Hi Friends!

I'm in Exodus today, and the plagues are about to begin. The Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years. The Egyptians had made them slaves; and they suffered through that. Now, it was time for them to go. God was going to free them. But Pharaoh thought he could stop them. And so, because of Pharaoh's actions, the plagues began. These plagues caused much suffering too.

The world is full of suffering, isn't it? We all suffer- believers and unbelievers alike. Why? Because we live in a fallen world. Jesus told us we would suffer. And, honestly, if the God Man had to suffer as He did, why would we expect not to suffer?

But, there's good news, friend. God is enough for any suffering we may experience. In fact, He is more than enough. Our God is good, and He's working His purpose in every circumstance. In those hard times, draw near to Him. Know Him. He will sustain us through it just as He sustained the Israelites through the plagues. We are not enough. We're not even close. But He is. Lean into Him.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Your Story, In His Image, Grace Upon Grace, and the Starry Night Stencil. I used distress oxides and the stencil for the background. I stamped the notebook paper on sticker paper and the partially adhered it to the page so that I can still lift it up to read the scripture underneath.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Trust Me

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Hi Friends!

Today we're in Psalm 46 with a well know verse. Be still. Such a simple command, and yet, it can be so hard to do. The NASB translation says "cease striving" instead of "be still." This command comes from the Hiphil stem of the verb rapha in Hebrew meaning to be weak, to let go, to release. So, we are being told to surrender ourselves in order to know that God is in control. And, instead of trusting in ourselves, we can trust in our all-sufficient and sovereign God. There is so much striving in this world. But, as believers, we need not hopelessly fight. Instead, we can surrender ourselves, and trust God. Knowing God is knowing that He is good and He will see us through all things. Yes, and amen!

Page Details:
For this page, I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Trust in the Lord, Sunshine Girl Alpha, Set Apart, In His Image, and Faith Wordfetti.

I made the notebook paper lines with colored pencils. I used distress oxides for the background. Distress oxides are a combination of pigment and dye inks that react when water is added. By spritzing water on the page, I was able to get the neat splatter effect. The pencil was colored with colored pencils.

Trust in Him, my friends! He is completely trustworthy.
Andrea

Created to Glorify God | Psalm 34

"I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips."  (Ps. 34:1)

It's the end of August, and we're wrapping up the different projects and pages shared here on the blog.  We've been so pleased with the God-honoring, God-centered posts we've seen all over the Sweet n Sassy facebook pages and Instagram!

Y'all...

This was a crazy - CAAARRAZY - month on so many levels.

The entire summer has been difficult with all sorts of camps, retreats, church events, vacations, and birthdays of many!

By now, we've wrapped up the summer with our final vacation that lasted for 10 days total: 6 days travel, 4 days stay.  Whew!  I'm still recovering, and not quite up to speed, but I'm much better than I was when we pulled into our garage.  

I'll never forget that night.  

I'll never forget that feeling.

I'll never forget that surreal-ness...

And ya know what?  I'm glad.  I need to remember what happened because it's what happened that brought me to my senses regarding God's overall care and control of a situation.  

My house what not as I'd left it.  It was not as I remembered.  When we pulled in, the floor of our garage was under water, inches deep.  Through the door into our laundry room, and turning the corner into the boiler room we saw the damage.  And we saw the source.

A leak just over a mist had popped on our hot water heater.  It sprayed so peacefully into our boiler room onto the neighboring wall, saturating ultimately all that hung on it, and causing sadly mold to develop on the wall of the next room.  Oh... boy...

There are not enough words for how my countenance had fallen; not enough words to explain that feeling that encompasses tired, weak, depleted, drained, bitter, and sad all at the same time.

My enemy was after me, and I knew - I KNEW - that his battle would rage against me somethin' fierce as I worked with the hubster to settle in and deal with some 100+ gallons of water from our garage floor.

"Singing Praises" stamp set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  Affiliate link below.

The morning after this all happened, I awoke with unease and that sinking feeling... you probably know that feeling I'm talking about.  As I mentioned in my processvideo on my Youtube channel, God drew me to my Bible that was lying open on my dining room table.  It was like something out of a movie as I moved from room to room, dismal and drained, to find the Word of God waiting for me among the piles of things still to unpack.  Even more surreal was turning to the next passage in my Bible reading plan, and seeing Psalm 34 in a completely different and relate-able way.

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I soul will boast in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice! Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together.  I sought the LORD and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; they shall look to Him and never be ashamed.  This poor man called out and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all of his troubles." (vv.1-6)

"In His Image" stamp set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  Affiliate link below.

There are far less words I can muster on just how faithful God is and was during this time.  We've not yet done full repairs to what was damaged and cannot recover what's been lost, but His hand, heavy and glorious, lifted my burden and I felt a weight transferred elsewhere.  It was unreal, supernatural and completely welcome.

David wrote of tragedy and loss, despair and attack, but usually from the posture of praise!  Usually, his position in the LORD of all Lords, and the God of all gods, reminded him often (as it should the rest of us who are in Christ) that he was protected, watched, cared for and loved.  His heart was safe, secure in the hands of God the Creator and Sovereign.

The flooding of my downstairs was bad, but it could have been worse.  PRAISE!

The damage to our house was awful, but it could have been so much more.  PRAISE!

The loss of goods and items was countable, but we are still being taken care of by a good God. PRAISE!

"Let's Do This," stamp set by Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  Affiliate link below.

Dear God, your praise will ever be on my lips, so far as it is in my power to do so!  I count on Your Holy Spirit to continually nudge and convict me of how much You have blessed, that I may praise You all the days of my life, sun up to sun down.

I love You, LORD.  

I adore You, Yahweh.

I praise You El Roi, the God who sees.  Amen.

Much love,

Deeds

Links to stamps below!

Link to "In His Image," here.

Link to "Singing Praises," here.

Link to "Let's Do This," here.

In the Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Dear Friends,
Our God is very creative! He made all that is- the earth, the heavens, and everything that fills both. Those of us who are creative can relate to His creativity. But, where we have materials to use to create, He created from NOTHING. That's huge! He's in a class all His own! God created all things by speaking them into existence. And when we read John 1, we see that Jesus is the Living Word. Jesus was there at creation. Everything came into being through Him. And, the Holy Spirit was there too (Genesis 1:2.) Each Person of the Trinity had a part in creation.

God is the Creator. Satan doesn't create. He only perverts God's creation. People don't truly create because we must start with something that's already been created. Everything originates with Him. Everything belongs to Him. And that's why everything must submit to Him. Yes, He gave humans free will, but someday, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:10-11.)

This first sentence of the Bible only has 10 words. But, what a huge thing it's describing! It's really incomprehensible the magnitude of what He did. But, that's our God. A God who is mighty and can do amazing things. Rest in Him.

Page Details:
I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps: In His Image, Faith Wordfetti, and Send Me. I love both these sets! I also used watercolor crayons and a white pen.

It's pretty amazing that the Creator of all things loves us as much as He does. Rest in that truth. Have a blessed week! Andrea

In the Beginning, God.

A good Tuesday to you, Creative Worshipers!

I'm in love. I'm seriously in love with the sets for the August release!  Have you enjoyed them?  Which ones are your favorite!  Comment below and let's talk. :D

But for now, I want to chit chat a bit about the Person for which the stamp set, "Made in His Image," was intended: God.

What?  lol, yes we're gonna talk about God.  That's what we do here.  That's what brings us the most joy and the most honor as we create and share!  God is amazing, worthy of praise and beyond worthy of our love and affections.

I fail daily to give Him my all; but even if for a few moments of your day, I can pour into your heart and encourage you by His Holy Spirit, I say, it's been a good day!

"In the Beginning, God," is something I heard a pastor once say.  I don't remember which pastor along the stream of pastors I've heard in the couple of decades I've been a Christian, but his words impacted me in such a way, that every Bible I've marked up has those words in highlight.

"In the beginning, God."

Let that sink it.
The very start of existence - EVEN BEFORE HUMANITY - God was there.  Already.  Already positioned in glory, on His throne, looking at the outstretched canvas of what we call our universe. 
He sees vastness.  Emptiness.  Void.
He plans.  He intends.  He inhales.
He moves.  He breathes.  He makes.

In the starting and pivotal stages of what would start the human race, God.

In the place of authority, majesty, sovereignty over all creation, God.

Have you read Genesis 1?  It's fantastic. 
What an account!  What a mind-blowing thing, too! 
How can one possibly imagine a Being out there in (quite literally) "no man's land," looking into the darkness that He may fill it with light?  That's so encouraging on many levels.
1.  God is working and planning the time when all things would exist, then mankind would enter and inherit such a place!
2.  God is moving and placing, creating and positioning the human hearts to love and adore Him from a place of complete intimacy, sharing His light and love with His beloved image-bearers.
3.  God is instilling authority that only He can give into mankind to rule with Him and carry out the tasks of keeping the earth. 

There's more. 
A lot more.
Insanely more. 
More than we can think, and unfortunately, more than we can hope for until Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, returns for His people to once again place them in a perfect state.
In John, we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God."  (v1)

Jesus Christ was in the beginning - right there by the Father - happily and joyfully creating the world for the coming inhabitants. 
Jesus Christ was in the beginning - right there with the Father - watching the plan unfold and readying Himself for His departure to live as a human.
Jesus Christ was in the beginning - right there in the Father - being filled with the Light of man, and the Light of all the world, that through Him, all the world would be saved.

In. The. Beginning.

The Tri-Unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is amazing.  Too amazing. 
Vastly beyond our ability to understand, yet still touchable and relative.

This is my feeble attempt to encourage someone in their walk with the Lord, or to begin a walk with the Lord. 
He is, by and large, the greatest Thing you will ever encounter and the most passionately merciful God you will ever meet.
Holy.
Good.
Sovereign.
Mighty.
Gracious.
Merciful.
Compassionate.
Light.
And life.

Friends, if you choose ANYone to follow, love, and worship, choose Him.
If you choose ANYthing to study, seek and meditate, choose Him.

Much love,
Deeds
IG @mercies_journaled
Youtube: Mercies Journaled
Affiliate link for "In His Image," here.

Created in His Image

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Genesis 1:27

That's me right there - curly hair, glasses, favorite purple shirt, covered in paint. A whole hot mess. But a hot mess created in the image of my Heavenly Father for the purpose of bringing Him glory. 🙌

This page was a lot of fun to create! I first covered my verse with washi to prevent any accidental smudging (trust me, accidents happens A LOT with me), then I did my stamping using the stamp sets below, and used watercolor paints to color in the stamps. Then came my favorite part - splattering the page with paint!! I seriously love a good paint splatter! 

I used the three new release Creative Worship stamp sets, the always versatile Girl Power stamp set to create this page. 😊😍

    

   

AWESOME NEWS!! All alpha stamp sets are on sale "Buy 2, Get 1 FREE" through the end of the day today. Take advantage of the sale and scoop up those alphas you've been eyeing up. 😉

Have a blessed week!

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

We are the Clay

Howdy Friends! I am sharing a new background technique I tried using plastic wrap today, but before I get into all the nitty gritty I have a fun sale to share with you... Sweet N Sassy stamps is having an amazing sale on all their alphabet stamp sets ...buy 2 get 1 free (no code necessary). This is a great time to pick up your favorite sets to use in your Bible journaling, card making, scrapbooking, etc. Okay now on to the fun....

To begin I got my page super wet then plopped (my beautiful technical word) color all over the page. Next I pulled out some plastic wrap and scrunched (yet another technical word) it around to create an interesting texture. Now comes the super boring part....I walked away, grabbed a cup of coffee and let it dry.

When I came back it was almost dry, I pulled off the wrap, but I really wish I had waited it would have created a more vibrant and interesting texture....but I patience and me are not always friends. After the page was completely dry I used StazOn black ink to stamp my title out and used a few tabs, washi tapes, and stickers in matching colors.

Isaiah 64:8 "But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."

You and I were created for a beautiful unique purpose. We are continuously being shaped and molded by the master artist. It's ok if we don't look like our friends and neighbors, we all are called to fufill a different purpose. It can be so easy to see the beauty in others and often overlook our own. I can't tell you how often I look down at my wrinkled, stained leggings and baggy tee shirt and wish my life was a little less messy, but those stains and wrinkles mean I have littles whom I cherish and depend on me. I encourage you today to see the beauty in yourself. You were created for a purpose!

Thanks for dropping by I hope you are leaving encouraged and refreshed.
Don't forget about the alpha sale going on now through the 18th.

Love and prayers,

Jenn @creativegurl85

Supplies Used:

Stamps- (In His Image, Typewriter block alpha, Sunshine girl alpha

Watercolors- Illustrated Faith, Black Ink- StazOn, Washi tape- cross, and arrows (Illustrated Faith), Black and White Stripes (Hobby Lobby), Tabs- Illustrated Faith, Ephemera- Illustrated Faith, Heart Stickers- Illustrated Faith