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

Grandmama's Teacups | Bible Journaling with Julie

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30)

I love collecting pretty teacups.  My china cabinet is full of them.  Many of them I've found at thrift stores, or have been given to me as gifts (because others know I like teacups!).  They remind me of my grandmothers.  My mother's mother also loved and collected teacups.  I remember eyeing and fingering her Blue Willow miniature collection as a child, until she would see and then scold me away.  Now it lovingly sits in my cabinet.  Teacups remind me of my father's mother and grandmother for other reasons.  My great-grandmother Merle hand-painted china as a hobby when she was a young woman.  One project that she passed on to my grandmother was her tea-and-toast set.  It is a set of eight teacups and saucers, each one with a different flower delicately hand-painted as its design.  A tea-and-toast set is special because the saucer is offset, to allow room for little pastries and goodies (the "toast") as well as the teacup.  My grandmother gave this special set to me as a wedding present, almost 10 years after my grandmother had passed away.  This was, by far, my most special gift, and I treasure it still.  It comes out for very special occasions, such as for William and Kate's and Harry and Meghan's weddings, and other small ladies' gatherings.  You can see one of the teacups in the background of the below picture. 

I chose to honor my grandmothers with this page in Proverbs 31.  I am truly thankful for the influence of godly women in my life.  The newly released Teacup Roses is the centerpiece of this page.  I stamped it on cardstock and watercolored the rose with Shimmerz Inklingz--fittingly the color was called "A Rose by Any Other Name".  I added some Nuvo Crystal drops to give a dewdrop effect.  I stamped tiny roses in the band around the teacup using a rose stamp from Girl Power, and then painted the rest of the teacup with watercolors and acrylic paints.  I stamped the teacup and scripted sentiment, as well the music texture stamp from Texture Tiles 1, all around the page, and then sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink to give the page an aged look.  I then added some paper pieces from a vintage hymnal, a doily and splattered the Inklingz around the page.  To top the page off, I stamped the rose again, colored it, and cut it out with my tab punch, then adhered it, along with  a little piece of the doily.  Of course, washi!  Some vintage-looking music-staff washi anchored the page on the top and bottom.  I had a matching bow clip, so I added that.  But something was missing, and I discovered this page wasn't complete until I added the stamped "grace" from the new Life in Jesus set.  I stamped it directly onyo the torn hymnal page, painted it with the Inklingz, and then affixed it on my page.  

To be honest, I put more effort into this page than I often do.  But it was worth it!  The whole time I was remembering my dear grandmamas, and praising God for the love and support they gave me.  This turned out to be one of my all-time favorite pages!  The kind you just look at for a long time after you're finished with it.  It was truly an act of creative worship for me.

You can see my other projects over on Instagram @julesk.jewels, YouTube at Jules Jewels, or my blog at Julesjewels.blog.  Thanks for joining me today! 

---Julie

TEACUP ROSES

GIRL POWER

TEXTURE TILES 1

LIFE IN JESUS