Jump for Joy

 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. Luke 6:23

When you were a kid, did you jump in piles of leaves? If you did, do you remember the simple joy it brought? When we follow Jesus, our reward is joy. Joy to help us through the hardest of days. It's not a joy that comes and goes, the joy from Jesus is one that is ever present. It doesn't mean we never feel sad or hurt or angry or defeated. It means that no matter what we feel, we have hope in Jesus. And that hope brings joy. We can rejoice no matter what because our God is sovereign over all. He works everything for the good of those who love Him. There is purpose in every situation and circumstance we find ourselves in. Let Jesus' joy get you through the good and the bad.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Happy Scarecrow, Falling Leaves, and Playful Alpha. Falling Leaves is FREE with a $65 order in September! And Happy Scarecrow has a die set available. I used watercolor crayons to color the scarecrow.

Have a joy-filled week! Andrea

Work Hard

 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; 

stay awake and you will have food to spare. 

Proverbs 20:13

Hi Friends!

Today we're in Proverbs 20. Verse 13 is talking about work. Sometimes, we think of work as a bad thing. Something that we do only because we have to. But, biblically, work is seen as beneficial- and not because it's financially beneficial! We see work in Genesis with God being the Worker, busy creating the world. When God created Adam and Eve, He put them to work over the garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned, unfortunately one of the consequences is that work became hard. The work itself was still good, but it would be more difficult, and the result would not always be positive. The important thing is that we should involve God in our work, whatever it is. As 1 Cor 10:31 tells us, we should glorify God in whatever we do. Our jobs should be our ministries.

This verse also speaks to work ethic. The Bible condemns laziness. While there are times when someone may not be able to work, or take care of themselves (and we are called to help those people,) if we are able, we are to work. This verse made me think of farmers. I have never farmed myself. But both of my grandfathers were farmers. And farmers work hard! There are many times that they work from sun up to sun down. They have to get up and stay awake and because they are willing to do that, they produce food for themselves as well as others.

No matter what you do, do it for the glory of God. Remember, work has no value unless God is in it.

Page details: This super cute Down on the Farm set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps was perfect for this verse! There are matching dies as well! I also used 2 alpha sets: Old Fashioned & Playful. I colored the page with watercolor crayons.

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

Built by God

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Hebrews 3:4

Hi Friends!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, we made a move to Texas. As of today, we've been here 2 weeks. For my husband and I, it was a move back to the town in which we were both raised. For my daughter, it's a place she's visited to see grandparents, but never lived in. We moved to the home my husband grew up in. And to be honest, I have mixed feeling about that. I loved the home we had in KS. From the moment we walked into it with the realtor, it felt like home to me. This house that we're in now, has always been my in-law's house. And it's going to take some time for that feeling to change. But what won't ever change, no matter where I may find myself geographically, is God. And, as this verse states, He is the Builder of ALL things. It doesn't really matter what earthly home I live in. What matters is my faith and trust in Him.

This chapter in Hebrews compares Jesus to Moses and proves that Jesus is the better of the two. It mentions that Moses was faithful in building the tabernacle, but that Jesus is worthy of the glory because He is Builder. That's the context of this verse. Wherever we find ourselves, even if it's not where we thought we'd end up, we should make the best of it and glorify Jesus in all we do. He is the builder of all things. My foundation is Him.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Playful Alpha & Welcome Home. I stamped the grass and house. But then I applied watercolor over the pigment ink. I used watercolor for the sky and then stamped the words and the fence, trees, and clouds. A simple page- but I tend toward the simple. :)

Be blessed, my friends! Andrea

Come Messy

For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

Hi Friends!

We live in an edited world, don't we? Practically every aspect of our lives is edited in some way- our thoughts, our actions, our words. Now sometimes, editing ourselves can be a good thing. But so often, what we're doing when we edit is just putting on an appearance to others, an appearance that is better than what we truly are. For instance, all these photos we share on social media, most of them are edited or filtered. We take out the imperfections. We fix the lighting. We adjust it to how we think the world wants to see us. Even in our relationships, we edit. How often, as my family scrambled to get ready for church, harsh words were spoken, hurtful actions committed. But man, when we got out of the car and went into church, you would have thought we were the perfect family, loving and glorifying God. Can you relate? The bad news is that we are a mess! We are broken and sinful.

But, I have good news, friends! We don't have to edit ourselves for Jesus. Jesus loves us anyway. He knows who we are- the good and the bad. And He loves us. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to become man and to live as a man. Because of His earthly life, He knows what we go through. Hebrews 4:15 tells us He sympathizes with our weaknesses; and that He was tempted just as we are. He knows, friends. He died for us knowing all our problems, issues, and sins. And knowing all this, He still invites us to come to Him. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need." 

Thank You, Lord, for loving us just as we are. Thank You for becoming Man to relate to us in a new way. Thank You for Your invitation to come to you in our brokenness, in our mess- unedited & unfiltered.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Joyful Alpha, Marker Alpha, Playful Alpha, Walk Humbly, All Your Heart, and Just Be. I started by applying acrylic paint to the page with a baby wipe. I then glued a hymnal page onto the page. I stamped the words. I stamped the girls on sticker paper and drew the photo frames with a Micron pen. I colored the girls with watercolor crayons.

Come, humble sinner, in whose breast,

A thousand thoughts revolve,

Come, with your guilt and fear oppressed,

And make this last resolve.

Come to Him, friends. He's waiting.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Jesus Sang

 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:26

Hi Friends!

Resurrection Sunday was a week ago, but something stood out to me as I was reading about Jesus' last night; and I just this weekend had time to journal it. The night before He went to the cross, Jesus sang. Knowing full well what was to come, He sang. And it wasn't a sad song that Jesus sang. He and His disciples were celebrating Passover. During Passover, Psalms 113-118 were generally sung. They are noted for joy and thanksgiving and are called the Hallel psalms. Since it was at the end of their meal, the hymn referred to in verse 26 was most likely Psalm 118. Guess how it starts:

1- Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him. He knew He would be betrayed by Judas. He knew Peter would deny knowing Him. He knew all His disciples would scatter. He knew He would have to go through illegal trials and that He would be mocked and beaten horribly. Jesus knew He would hang on a cross in agonizing pain. He knew, and yet He still gave thanksgiving to the Father.

Verses 5-7 of Psalm 118 speak to hard times:

5- When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place.

6- The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

7- The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

What must Jesus have been thinking when He sang these verses? There are no harder times than what He was about to endure. He was on His way to the Mount of Olives where He would cry out to the Father, pleading with Him if there were any other way. But of course, there was not another way. And Jesus was obedient. The Father was with Him, as always, except that when Jesus hung on the cross bearing our sins, then He experienced separation from the Father. How unbearable that must have been for Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father! I can't imagine. Mere mortals mocked Him, beat and abused Him, crucified Him. But they weren't in control. No, not at any point were they in control. Jesus controlled it all. And He triumphed over the enemy.

We should be familiar with Psalm 118:22-24:

22- The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

23- The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24- The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Let us rejoice TODAY and be glad. That day, the day before His death, Jesus was able to rejoice and be glad. And He, of course, is the Cornerstone. He knew He would be rejected and killed, but this was the day the Lord had made. This day- there would be no other like it. Jesus sang as if that day would be a good day, not an awful one. It was THE DAY. Jesus willingly went to the cross that day for each of us. We can rejoice in that day because of what He did for us.

Psalm 118 ends with these final verses:

28- You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You.

29- Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Jesus sang praise and thanksgiving to the Father. He was about to endure savage cruelty that was completely undeserved, not that cruelty is ever deserved, but He was utterly innocent. And yet, as He and the disciples sang, they pronounced that God the Father was in complete control. Jesus knew. And He praised. And He thanked. And He rejoiced. What an amazing Savior we have.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Grunge Elements 3, Brotherly Love, Note This, Playful Alpha, and the Make Music stencil. I applied distress oxides to the page with sponge daubers for the background. And colored in "Jesus" with Prismacolor pencils. Before stamping, I spritzed the page with water so the distress oxides would react with the water.

Have a blessed week. Read Psalm 118 and praise our Lord! Andrea

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? 

And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

Hi Friends!

If only I were as willing as Isaiah. If I am completely honest, I don't immediately jump up and say, "YES!" to the Lord when it's not something in my plans. Can you relate? I heard a song the other day on the radio, and it was SO good- but it was also a gut punch. It's called "Start Right Here" by Casting Crowns. Here are the lyrics:

We want our coffee in the lobby
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a Rockstar preacher
Who won't wake us from our dreams
We want out blessings in our pocket
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our cities
Would we even cross the street?

Huh but we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church, if we want to see a change in the world out there

It's got to start right here
It's got to start right now
Lord, I'm starting right here
Lord, I'm starting right now

I'm like the brother of the prodigal
Who turned his nose and puffed his chest
He didn't run off like his brother
But his soul was just as dead
What if the church on Sunday
Was still the church on Monday too?
What if we came down from our towers
And walked a mile in someone's shoes?

Hmm 'cause we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It's got to start right here
It's got to start right now
Lord, I'm starting right here
Lord, I'm starting right now

We're the people who are called by His name
If we'll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land but it starts right here
We're the people who are called by His name
If we'll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land

It's got to start right here
It's got to start right now
Lord, I'm starting right here
Lord, I'm starting right now
It's got to start right here
It's got to start right now
Lord, I'm starting right here
Lord, I'm starting right now

And click here for the video.

I needed to hear those words; and I needed to see Isaiah's quick and enthusiastic commitment to be God's messenger. Church, if we want to see change in the world out there, it's got to start right here. It's got to start right now. In our homes. In our neighborhoods. In our schools. In our churches. In our workplaces. We have to stand firm in God's truth and to share that truth in a loving way. Let's be the light that Christ calls us to be to this dark world. Let's live worthy of our calling.

Page details:

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Marker Alpha, Playful Alpha, and Welcome Home. I used acrylic paints for the background. I sprayed my page first with water so that it would thin out the paint and help them blend. I stamped the houses and church on sticker paper, cut them out, and adhered them to the page. I outlined the images with a Micron pen.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Shine Like Stars

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life. Philippians 2:14-16a

Dear Friends,

This has been a rough week. Here in America, we're all probably feeling a little weary no matter which candidate we support. So what do we do now? As believers in the one true King, what do we do? Philippians 2:14-16a tells us what we do- we shine like stars. Are we shining our own light? Oh no, my friends, we are shining HIS light. We are reflecting Him to this broken and hurting world. So let's break down these verses.

1. Do everything without grumbling and arguing: If you've been on Facebook or Twitter or watched the news lately, you know there is a lot of grumbling and arguing. The sad thing is is that believers are wrapped up in it just as much as non-believers. We need to stop! Through Paul, God didn't say just do some things without grumbling and arguing. He said do EVERYTHING without it. I need to improve myself. I haven't gotten involved in political battles online or in person, but do I grumble to myself? Yes. Do I argue with the TV? Yes. Do I gripe at posts? Yes. We need to do better. When we are acting like the world, we are not sharing Jesus' light or His love as we are called to do. We can't draw others to Christ if we are at war with them.
2. So that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation: This is the reason WHY we should not grumble and argue. This world is definitely crooked and perverted. But we should not be! God is in complete control. None of this surprises Him. He's not worried. And no matter who ends up in the White House, God's purpose will be done.
3. Among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life: When we live differently than the world, when we don't grumble and argue as the world does, we shine like stars. I love that CSB translation. We shine God's light in this dark world and people are drawn to Him. Isn't that what we want? All these people we disagree with, isn't what we want that they too know Jesus? Our country, our world is hurting. Our country, our world needs Jesus. Let's shine. And we shine by holding firm to the word of life, His truth. Hold firm, my friends, hold firm to His word.  

My phone had an update the weekend before the election. One of the updates was that I could add a verse of the day to my home screen so I did. The day after the election this was the verse that popped up on my screen: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) What a reassurance that was. Jesus is on His throne. He was on it yesterday, and He will remain there always no matter what happens in this world.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Shine Your Light, Texture Tiles 8, Playful Alpha, Marker Alpha. The background was done with watercolor crayons. I just wet my brush, gather color on the brush from the tip of the crayon, and pounce the brush on the page. I also used glitter glue to make some of the words and the stars sparkle.

 

Sparkle for Him this week! Blessings, Andrea

Beauty in the Hard

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20

Hi Friends,

As a nation, as a world, we have been experiencing some hard. Individually, we may be experiencing hard. Joseph knew hard. He knew a lot of it. But through it all, he trusted God. He knew God was using the hard for His purpose- and that purpose was good. That didn't necessarily make the hard easier, but it did give it purpose, God's purpose. The same is true for us. Our hard has a purpose. God is working in it. Nothing surprises Him. Covid didn't surprise Him. The unrest doesn't surprise Him. Our individual circumstances don't surprise Him. He knew. He knows. And He is working His purpose through it all.

My friend and owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, Korin Sutherland, shared a post on FB originally written by Kimberly Henderson of Proverbs 31 Ministries. It really resonated with me and is what inspired this page. Here is what Kimberly wrote:

I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce. He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I'm asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.

He knows the beauty the hard will grow. He knows, friend. Let's lift our nation, our world, each other up to Him. He is our hope. He is working in this mess. And He is good.

Page Details: Do you ever work on a page and things just keep messing up? Well, I do! LOL I decided to do a background using acrylic paint and baby wipes. I just put some paint on the baby wipe, and spread it out on the page, blending when I started a new color. But, I dropped some paint on the Scripture. So, I tried to clean it off, and ended up rubbing the words a little too much so that they started to come up. OOOPS!

Then, when I went to stamp the words on the page, I started stamping the wrong word!

The great thing about acrylics is that if you mess up, you can just paint over it and start over! You can see that even after I painted over it, you can still see a little of the "HA", but once I stamped "WILL" over it, you can't see the mess up.

If I hadn't been using acrylics, I probably would have covered the "HA" with something- a word sticker, a torn hymnal page, scrapbook paper, something that would have camouflaged the mistake.

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Playful Alpha, Bold & Outline Caps, True Beauty, and Made New. I also used a white pen to highlight the words.

Trust Him, Friends. He knows the hard you are in and He's right there with you. Have a blessed week! Andrea