It's OK to not be OK

John 16:32-33

...Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.  

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.

 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

To be completely honest, I am struggling trying to figure out how to start this blog post. This is a very personal page I recently did as I am currently going through a heart breaking experience. Not quite a month ago, my dad passed away unexpectedly. Even writing that sentence is not simple and I still don't believe it. It's like my head understands, but my heart doesn't comprehend.

How do you cope with losing a parent that you were so close to? There is not a set of clear directions on how to handle that. When I first found out about it, I was driving and had nowhere to pull over. My chest got tight, I felt like I couldn't breath, and my eyes filled with tears. I thought "no, there is no way this is true, how could this possibly happen? I just talked to him yesterday!" I had just left a women's ministry meeting at church and was on my way home, but I knew I couldn't drive the whole way safely. So I turned around and headed back to church. 

I walked in and saw my friend standing in the hall. She just looked at me and said "Stephanie! What's wrong?" and I struggled to get the words out and nearly collapsed in the hall. I could hardly catch my breath and I was surrounded by a group of ladies who immediately started praying for me. My entire world stopped and changed that night. It's still not the same and I know it will forever be different. As a christian, I know now is the time when I need to lean on God for comfort and peace as I face this "new normal" as many have called it. But to be totally honest, it hasn't been easy. I almost, haven't wanted to seek that comfort because then I would be admitting that all of this is real, if that makes any sense. 

A lot of my grief always seems to hit me when I'm alone driving in the car. One day recently a song came on the radio, "Maybe It's Ok" by We Are Messengers. This one part of the song jumped out at me as I drove down the road and fell apart...

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

'Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me

Maybe it's alright if I'm not alright

'Cause the One who hold the stars is holding my whole life

-"Maybe It's Ok" by We Are Messengers

This song made me realize, it's ok that I'm not ok right now! I know the Lord will be my source of comfort and will help heal my heart.. eventually. But for now, in this moment, it's alright that I am literally falling apart at the seams. In John 16:32-33 is says "...Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” He reminds us that life is not going to be perfect. Things will be difficult and you will have hard times. But we can find peace in Him. He has overcome the entire world and we can lean on him!

So I have been praying that God will help show me his peace in this difficult time. Help me listen to him and lean on him. I know it will take time for things to "feel normal" again, but there will always be a piece of my heart missing. We had many more memories to make, hugs to give, pictures to take, and laughs to share. But I have been trying to focus on all of the things I am grateful for. Like the 32 years of memories we made together, all of the milestones he was there for, the last 1 1/2 years that he lived closer and my girls got to know their Papa so much better, and lastly that we talked for a half an hour the day before he passed. I only wish I had be given the chance to say goodbye to the man that was my rock my entire life. But I try to remind myself that he will still look down on us from heaven and see my kids grow. 

If you are reading this and also going through an extremely difficult time in your life, I pray you seek and find comfort through our mighty and powerful God! We won't feel it right away, it will still hurt, but the peace and comfort will come if we lean on Him!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

Typewriter Blocks Alpha

Healer of My Heart

Shake It Off Lowercase Alpha

Life In Jesus

God's Voice

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes deer give birth and strips the forest bare, and in His temple all cry, "Glory!" The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as King forever. May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace! Psalm 29:1-11 (emphasis mine)

Dear Friends,

As I write, Hurricane Michael is pummeling the southeast coast. I'm praying for all those affected.

Psalm 29 is a poetic hymn about a storm, and how God is present in the storm. Storms can be scary and destructive. But God is there in the middle of storms to sustain and help us. The world was created just by Him speaking it into existence. There is such power in His voice. And, of course, one of Jesus' names is the Word of God. Jesus IS the Word of God. This psalm begins with a call to praise. It then describes God's power over nature and people. It ends with a prayer of strength and peace to be given to His people. I think this psalm is beautiful. And God's power just resonates throughout it. He is more powerful than any storm. And He will work His purpose through any storm's destruction. We live in a fallen world. But our God is supreme; and He is good.

For the page, I used a new Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set called Thrill of Hope. This set was just perfect to make a landscape that represents the trees, water and deer spoken of in the psalm. I also used three alpha sets: Shake It Off Caps, Shake It Off Lowercase, and Bitty Minnie Alpha. The background and images were done with distress inks. You can get these inks on the SNSS website as well as the sponge daubers I used to apply the background ink! I used a white pen to detail the letters.

May you experience God's strength and peace, my friends. Andrea

Jesus Loves You...No Matter What!

Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:60-62

We all know this story. Peter denied that he knew Christ and followed Him. Three times Peter denied Jesus. And we ask ourselves, "How could he do that?" And, yet, if I'm honest with myself, I should ask myself how many times I've denied Jesus myself. I love that we see the ups and downs of Peter in the Bible because it gives me hope! God can still work through all my ups and downs!

What I love about this passage is that after Peter denied Jesus and the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at him. With judgment? No, I think He looked at Peter with love and compassion. He knew Peter would deny Him before Peter did it. But He also knew what Peter would go on to do in His name. We all fall. We all turn away from God. But He died for us anyway! We have a truly amazing God!!

And coming full circle, John 21:15-17 tell us how Jesus restored Peter. "So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep."

Jesus gave Peter three chances to declare his love for Him. He wanted to restore Peter. And He wants to restore us too. Don't run from Him. Instead run to Him. He will meet us with open arms because He loves us no matter what. 

I journaled this page in my interleaved Bible. For the page, I used watercolor for the background and a white sharpie pen for the highlights. I copied the rooster from an online image and drew him with Micron pens. The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp sets I used are: Shake It Off Caps and Shake It Off Lower Alphas, Chunky Alpha, Rebecca Script, Just Be, and His Name.

  

  

Remember He loves you more! Blessings, Andrea 

The Rules of Love....

{jane bosi}  We had a new preacher on Sunday who preached a great message and totally inspired my time in the Word.  I don't often find myself in Deuteronomy, but here is where I have dwelt so far this week.  Deuteronomy 6:1-7:

“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, ² that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

I work with a lot of kids who struggle to follow rules, struggle to understand the point behind many rules and in general find themselves wandering in one desert after another desperately trying to find their way.  They need leading, but like the rest of us stubborn humans, leading is the last thing they seem able to seek, let alone accept.  

Rules {commands} are all about God's desire to remain in relationship with His children.  His law teaches us how to stay with Him.....how, blessedly simple is that?  His law is about His affection for us! I get that....because in my humanly parental heart, I know what it feels like to want my child to stay...to share who they are, to talk to me, to seek my counsel, to allow me to tend their pain and share their joy....no matter how old they get.  I want them to stay.  God wants me to stay.  He wants you to stay.

Hopin' to touch some hearts with this perspective and simple truth.....

I have to add a quick little note about my bible journal page, too!  I {heart} the way it turned out!  I used three different alphabet stamp sets:  Shake It Off Caps and Lowercase and Outline Alpha.  I also used a few other sets for accents:  Stand Tall and Bottom of My Heart.  I stamped everything and then masked off some of the accents and the Outline Alpha letters.  I used post-it notes because I don't have a better idea...it's kind of putzy, but I like that (especially while watching the Packer game....I need my coping skills!).  After everything was masked off, I applied four different colors of Ranger Distress Inks.  To finish things off, I added a page marker, some white signa pen outlines and a little bit of sparkle.  Don't you love that sweet little birdie?? (Stand Tall)

Be Blessed--Jane

Pray Big!

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. 

Joshua 10:12-13

Hello Sweet 'n Sassy Friends!

Our God is a God of miracles... a God of impossibilities. Joshua not only believed that, but he ACTED upon that. And, this wasn't the first time he acted upon his faith. Time and time again, we see Joshua faithfully following God wherever He led. On this particular day, Joshua was in a battle with the Amorites on behalf of the Gibeonites. In Joshua 10:8, God told Joshua that He would deliver the Amorites into Joshua's hands. Daylight was running out, so Joshua prayed big! And God answered BIG. "And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." Joshua 13-14. Pretty cool, right??!!

We have that same God. If you're like me, sometimes God goes in a box. A human sized box. I want to pray like Joshua... out of the box... big and expectantly. Don't you too?

For the page, I used 3 Sweet 'n Sassy sets: Seek Him, Shake It Off Lowercase Alpha, and Lynzee Script Alpha. I love all these sets, and use them over and over in my Bible journaling. I drew the sun and used watercolors to color it in. I also used a Micron pen to hand letter "stand" and a Faber-Castell big brush pen to color in "pray". I hand letter some, but I love being able to use alpha sets because I'm still learning hand lettering. Using the alpha sets makes lettering quick, easy, and pretty!

  

I hope you will pray big! Blessings, Andrea

The Root....

{jane bosi}

I'm sharing my first journaling project of 2017!  I'm not much for resolutions and stuff like that.  I try to take life day to day and am always trying to be my best self!

I did, however, spend the first weekend of the new year, like I spend many, creating and reflecting on the Word.  This is also my first free hand drawing....it was scary-ish, but I had some awesome alphabet sets from Sweet 'N Sassy to pull it all together.  All of Me Alpha, Shake It Off Caps, Shake It Off  Lowercase.

My study started with Romans 12 and the advice to not conform to this world but to be transformed.....sage and wonderful advice!  You can see from my under lines, I find this message noteworthy and to be remembered.  As it happens often, my study turned to a wandering through the word backwards from where I was (kind of like how my life works) and I found a true gem without meaning to look for it.  I love how His Word so richly meets us where we are and provides insight and inspiration we aren't even aware we need!

Romans 11:18-20:  "...remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.  Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."  This is true.  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.  So do not become proud, but fear."

All those times I try to fix or figure things for myself--I need to be reminded that it is not me, but the Root that supports me.....such a hard lesson at times, but a good place to dwell, especially at the start of a new year.

 Enjoy--Jane

I got crafty with: