What Child is this?

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4

Merry Christmas, dear friends!
One of my favorite Christmas hymns is "What Child Is This" which asks...
What Child is this
Who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?

The chorus answers...
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

What Child is this? That's such a deep question. Christ is so many things to us. The Hebrews verses I reference above say that God spoke to us through His Son (vs 2). Jesus is the ultimate Word of God to mankind. There is nothing else God needs to say to us. All we need to do is hear what He has said through Jesus and heed it.

These verses also tells us more about Christ.

• He is the heir of all things (vs 2). That means all things are rightfully His. 
• The world was created through Him (vs 2).
• He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (vs 3). He IS God.
• He upholds the universe by the word of His power (vs 3). Wow! Christ holds everything together!
• He purified us from our sins (vs 3).
• He sits at the right hand of the Father (vs 3).
• His name is above all names (vs 4).

So, what Child is this? He is the King! He is the Word of God. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Heir of all things. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He deserves our praise.

Friends, in this season when we celebrate His birth, think on these things. Think about who He is and praise Him. I wish you a blessed Christmas and peace in our sweet Savior.

Page Details:

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Vintage Love, Script Outline Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, and Texture Tiles 1. I used watercolor crayons to color the page, a Micron pen to color in the letters, and a white pen to highlight the letters. 

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Start Somewhere

stamps used: Outline Alpha, Texture Tile 2, and Typewriter Block Alpha from this month's release!

Hey guys, it's Deeds!

Thanks for coming to the blog for Creative Worship Bible Journaling!  Our hearts are daily poured out into this place, and I hope you're encouraged by what you read today.

I've been going through the Bible this year - for the very first time in my life as a Christian - and I've been able to learn so much about God's character from the very beginning words, "In the beginning." 

I finally made it into Nehemiah.  

I like it!  

I like it a lot, and the biggest thing I've learned about Nehemiah is the restorative process through which God reconciles His people to Himself.  It's interesting to me, the picture here in this book that relates to God in His greatness and compassion.

Historical context is summed up in this:

Jerusalem is in ruins; Israel has been scattered, exiled, enslaved by Babylon.  Why?
God's people had adulterated themselves with other gods; the gods of surrounding nations, which also led to intermarrying with the women of these areas and defying God's holy law.  This was the first and foremost commandment broken as they'd mixed and muddled their prayers and worship of the One True God with idols.
It was a sad time.  Super bad.  Super evil. 
Babylon was defeated by King Cyrus of Persia, thereby losing their hold on Israel.
Later on, Cyrus would allow a the captives to return to Jerusalem, at which point they'd begin to reconstruct their city; their home; their lives. 
Opposition comes.
New king comes to power.
Frustration.
Fear sets in.
Enter Nehemiah.

Nehemiah is a cup-bearer for the enemy king, Artaxerxes.  Nehemiah has received news that there is trouble in his homeland.  He is grieved and broken.
The king - by God's gracious handling - notices Nehemiah, and asks him what can be done.  Nehemiah prayerfully considers his response and then asks Artaxerxes for permission to go home and help with the continuation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. 
It's CRAZY the response he gets; Artaxerxes allows it! 
Not ONLY does he allow it; he blesses the mission that would be the return of Nehemiah, Asaph, and a number of other men, for the rebuilding of the walls.

As I ventured to chapter 2, I learned something neat; something powerfully relatable.  The people had more or less discontinued the work, and had become lethargic; unmotivated.  When Nehemiah comes to town, he lets loose with a humbling, stirring message of God; their God.  Their God of grace and mercy.
"Then I said to them, 'You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire.  Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.'  I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me." (Neh. 2:17-18a)

Pretty moving, huh?

It really was, and here's what the lethargic-turned-energized people say:
"'Let us start rebuilding.' So they began this good work." (v 18b)

A couple of things to note.

The first and foremost is that God is good.  All the time.
Nehemiah's ability to boost morale came from the heart of God.  The heart that God has for His people.  The heart of God that desires what is good, right, best and healthy for His children.  Remembering all that God had done for them, and all that God had brought them through to this point, would be to remember His true character. 
The second thing would come via remembering which is, acting.  Taking action.  Making that move.  Beginning.  Beginning again.  Starting…somewhere. 
This people had faced huge opposition. The foe was daunting, the threats were looming. 
This could very well have caused anyone - everyone - to turn and run, and yet by remembering that God is good, and that God is good all the time, and that "He is the Rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6), one can take step of faith.  One can set that next brick. 

Nehemiah's call to the people was one of strengthening by way of God's strength; empowering by way of God's power.  They (we) are effective in God's work for God's kingdom because of God.  The grace of God. 
Friend, do not feel powerless against the enemy.  He WILL indeed rise up against you and me everyday, but when we remember that it is NOT you, it is NOT me, but it IS God that will prevail in battle, we can trust.  In trusting, we can obey.  In obeying, we will be blessed.  To the glory of God forever and ever!  

Praise God for His reliability and trustworthiness! Amen?

Much love,
Deeds

Find the full February release here!

Script Outline Alpha here

Texture Tile 2 here

Need Wisdom?

James is one of my favorite books in the Bible.  It has such straightforward, practical advice.  I'm not sure about you, but I like it all spelled out for me.  I love it when the answer is right in front of my face.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love digging in His Word for truth and information.  I love reading to gain knowledge about who God is and what His character is like.  

There are times when I just don't know what to do or where to turn in situations.  Anyone else ever been there?  I'm sure we all have at one point or another.  In the first chapter of James, he tells us all we have to do is ask God.

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking."  James 1:5  

The word "ask" in the Greek can be defined as "to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require." 

Wow. When I want to know something do I crave the answer?  Better yet, do I crave to hear God's wisdom?  Do I require His knowledge?  Or do I ask five different friends before I even think about going to the Lord? 

 

Did you read the all of verse 5?  James tells us that not only will God give us wisdom, He is generous and He doesn't rebuke us for asking.  He doesn't say "that's a stupid question!"  He gives us what we ask for...what we crave for.

In this season of choosing to truly abide with my Lord, my heart is craving Him and his knowledge more and more.  I desire to hear from Him.  My heart's cry is to get to the point that every fiber of my being requires that I hear from God.

I know my God is a generous God and He will give me wisdom.  I just have to ASK.  

Where are you today?  Are you hungry for His knowledge?  


Art behind the story:

I was excited to use some of the bold patterns and alphas that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has in their collection for this page.  For the background, I started out with some acrylic paints and built a pattern of color.  I added flowers and branches from the  Itty Bitty Blossoms set.  The words were stamped with Happy Alpha and Script Outline Alpha.  I stamped the arrows from the Send Me set on card stock, colored them, and then fussy cut.  

Pray this post encourages you!

Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings

Thankfulness

Hey guys!

It's Deeds, just LOVING the support I've seen in the Creative Worship Facebook page!  I have been amazed at the community of loving believers in this place, and I am so thankful to be a part of it!  Aren't you?? :D

It's the week of Thankfulness!  It's Turkey time!  It's gather and chatter 'bout whatever may matter time!  I just made that up ;D  What do YOU have planned for the holiday?  Family coming in to town?  Are YOU the family coming into town?  Are you a student going to a host family?  Are you the family that goes out to eat at a restaurant rather than cookin' the good ol' turkey and fillin's?

Wherever you are, whatever you do, whoever you find yourself with, thankfulness is not overrated. 

I'm learning a lot about it, and let me tell you, I need to fill my heart with that above the overabundance of a turkey dinner!

Today, I'm working out of Esther.  My home church has been studying through this book for the last few weeks, under the leadership of Pastor Kyle.  There's SO much (of course) that I did NOT realize about this book, and there's one thing that causes it to stand out as unique to all other books of the Bible: no mention of God - AT ALL. 

Stamps used inlcude Texture Tile 2, Just Say Jesus, Women of Praise, Sunshine Girl Alpha, and Outline Script Alpha

We come to know that though He be "absent," He is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY present!  Though His name is not mentioned, His attributes are clear.  Though His people the Jews neglect Him, His blessings are weighty.  Though He be ignored, He is ever working!

I LOVE this book!  I think it may be my favorite at this time.  The Holy Spirit has opened my eyes (and my heart) to just how divinely orchestrated the series of events truly are!  It's so amazing!  I'll share the link to the sermon series below so you will be sure to check it out!  WOAH!!

Week 5, we're leaning in on chapter 5 of Esther.  There's crazy talk all over the place.  I think it's interesting the relatable history in this whole story of Mordecai, Esther and Haman.  Haman gets the spotlight - a really dingy, horrible, no good spotlight.  He is TOTALLY human.  Totally insane.  Totally insecure. 
What you see in my entry is the phrase, "Thankful people understand grace."  Thankful people know their identity is not in their money, clothes, position, passion, or possessions.  Thankful people know that God is the giver of all things.  Thankful people know passionate humility, not insecure entitlement. 

This hit home.  I've found myself countless times on the end of entitlement - AAAHHHH, I HATE that word.  And to think that day after day, in some way or another I forget.  I forget to whom I owe my identity, my worship, my allegiance, my everything.  I forget to be thankful and in doing so, I forget about grace. 
The amazing grace of God. 
The grace that saved a wretch like me.
The grace that found me in my sin and shame and brought me into light and life!

Grace, grace.  God's grace.  Thank you God for grace.  Help me, Lord, to only be thankful!  To see myself rightly as a pauper that brings nothing to the table.  To see Jesus as the substance of my being. 
In His name, I pray,  Amen.

Much love,

Deeds

PS - don't forget that this month is a special month full of discounts and deals on the Sweet 'n' Sassy website.  Below are the November releases and the link to the shop!  Happy Thankful November!

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com

Gifts From Above

James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, 

who does not change like shifting shadows."

Click HERE 

to see the PROCESS VIDEO for this page, and how I created a full page tip-in! 

For this entry I used Dots and Dust watercolors, Prismacolor pencils, 

Versifine Ink, and the following Sweet n' Sassy Stamps!

How Tweet

Sunshine Girl Alpha

Script Outline Alpha 

White as Snow

Hi everyone I am back today to share some beautiful Christmas stamps with you. Christmas is right around the corner, the chill is in the air ...at least up here in Iowa it is. I can hardly wait to start decorating the house, create Christmas cards and baking all those delicious goodies. While I wait I thought it might be fun to find a creative way to use these Christmas stamps.

This set reminded me of the scripture of how Jesus washes us white as snow. I began by first using script outline and sunshine girl alpha stamp sets stamping them in Versafine embossing ink then dusting them with white embossing powder and hitting them with my heat gun. Next I used the same process to stamp the snowflakes from the thrill of hope set in random areas on the page. Finally I created a night sky with deep blue watercolor. The embossed areas on the page resist the watercolor and making the stark white areas pop off the page.

I did a little research on this passage from Isaiah 1:18 "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Scarlet and crimson in the Bible refer to dye obtained from the eggs of tiny insects. In those days clothes had to be double-dyed in this bright red color so the color would become permanent or fixed to the fabric. Sin is a lot like this. Human effort can not remove the staining caused by our sinful choices. Only through Jesus's sacrifice can we receive what no one else can give us - a pure heart. I pray you find comfort in knowing you are not too dirty, and stained to be redeemed and cleaned pure. Our Father loves you and is waiting with open arms to wash you clean as if you had never sinned.

Love and prayers,
Jenn @creativegurl85

He Will Keep You Steady

Psalm 55:22

"Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."

Life is CRAZY! Am I right?! I mean, especially in today's age, we are always multitasking and juggling so many things at once. Today's world has so many demands, appointments, to-dos and so on. Some days we can feel like we are powerful and can conquer the world, and then the next day we could feel like the world and all its demands are completely crushing us under it's weight! But when we feel that way, like we just couldn't possibly take on anymore, or like we are failing at life itself, God is there to help us! He is always there to help us!

Many of us are guilty of trying to take control of our lives, manage every bit and piece of it to fit our specific plan of what and how we think we should be living. But that is so far from the truth. God has a plan for us and our lives and we must follow that plan. And his plan is never more than we can handle. It is when things get really hard and we feel like we are being crushed and can't possibly juggle anymore, that we need to remember we can rely and call on God to keep us steady. He is our rock, he cannot be moved, and he will keep us strong. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength." That is one of my favorite bible verses. I repeat it to myself anytime I'm struggling and need a little boast in moral. We can do anything with the Lord in our corner. 

Psalm 55:22 "Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." God's promises are gold! We can hold strong to his word when we feel we are weak and can't do it on our own. One more verse for you to hold on to today. 2 Corinthians 12:9 " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." There are so many places in the bible where we learn that we can trust in the Lord and his power when we feel we are weak. When we feel like that tower we are trying so hard to keep standing is about to come crashing down, he is there for us to tell us, "It's ok! I got this!"

Have a great week everyone!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

Teacup Roses

Itty Bitty Alpha

Just Say Jesus

Script Outline Alpha

Itty Bitty Blossoms 

Make an Impact

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:17

Dear Friends,

Many of us know this story in Exodus 1. Pharaoh ordered the Israelite baby boys to be killed upon birth because he felt threatened by the Israelites. Two midwives are remembered in God's Word, Shiphrah and Puah, because they chose God over Pharaoh. Verse 17 tells us that they "feared" God. That doesn't mean they were scared of God. It means that they had such reverence, respect and awe for Him that it impacted how they lived their lives. They obeyed Him and worshiped Him through their actions of saving those baby boys. We are called to do the same. Live in a way that shows our reverence, our respect, our awe of God. We are called to be God-fearing too. What does that look like for me? For you? For me, it means that I try to live my life in the way Jesus would. I'm constantly asking myself "How would Jesus respond to this situation?" And to be honest, sometimes I'm not sure! We live in a much different world than the world of biblical times. And there's a lot of gray areas. So, I pray. I go to His Word. And I try to live in a way that will make an impact and draw others to Him. I'm not always successful, of course. But, I want to be like Shiphrah and Puah.

Page details! I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Sunshine Girl Alpha, Script Outline Alpha, Girl Power, and Texture Tiles 1.

This page is in my interleaved Bible which has blank pages between every page of Scripture. I had journaled on the back side of this page. So, I used acrylic paints to cover this side of the page. The acrylic paints cover any bleed through/shadowing from the other side and act as a barrier for any bleed through/shadowing from this side. I painted the page with acrylic paints and stamped once it was good and dry. If you're using acrylic paint, make sure to let it dry well before stamping as the stamps can actually pull the paint up off the page if it's not dry enough- even when it's dry to the touch. When stamping on acrylic paint, I use Archival ink made by Ranger because the ink remains crisp on the paint (pigment inks tend to bleed and blur on acrylic paint). I colored in the script alpha with a black brush pen, and highlighted the letters with a white Sharpie pen.

 Have a good week, my friends! Andrea