And he read it...

I find the stories of the Old Testament positively fascinating! Intrigue, political espionage, affairs, murder - the history of the early Israelites is not for the faint of heart. Rather than following God's ways, the people often did their own thing and paid a high price. 

The books of the Kings tells the stories of the kings of Israel (northern kingdom headquartered in Samaria) and Judah (southern kingdom headquartered in Judah). Nineteen kings led the nation of Israel, but not one of them followed after the Lord God. Twenty kings led the nation of Judah, and only eight followed the Lord. Eight kings out of 39!

We find the story of Judah's King Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. Josiah was only eight years old when he ascended to the throne, but even from that young age he knew he wanted to do things differently than his father and grandfather (Amon and Manasseh). He had a godly scribe and high priest who helped him follow the ways of Jehovah, and he immediately began to purge the land of idols and idol worship. When he was 18 years old, he sent Shaphan, his faithful scribe, and some other leaders to the temple to instruct Hilkiah, the high priest, to begin repairing the temple. The monies collected at the temple were to be used to pay the workers and sustain the priests. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 34:12 that "the men did the work faithfully."

While in the midst of repairing the temple, Hilkiah the priest (who just so happened to be the father of the great prophet Jeremiah) had an amazing find - the Book of the Law. 

"Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.' And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, says, Your servants have gatehered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.' Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saysing, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it before the king."

Some scholars believe this could have been the original book of of the law written by Moses! Can you imagine?! Until this point, the King only had the word that had been passed down through generations - a set of guidelines to follow, if you will. Now he had the actual written Word of God in his hands!

The Bible says in 2 Kings 22:11 when King Josiah "heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes." The hearing of God's word did a spiritual work in King Josiah. In the strongest way possible (tearing of clothes) he showed his grief and conviction of sin. After hearing the Word, King Josiah immediately sought counsel from a prophetess, read the Book of the Law to the people, and enacted sweeping reform throughout the whole land of Judah.

"Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem - the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord."

Shaphan read the book before the king and the Word of God spread. it has been forgotten and regarded as nothing more than a dusty old book. Now it was found, read, and spread. Throughout the history of Gods' people, when the Word of God is recovered and spread, spiritual revival follows. (Guzik)

God's Word has the power to convict me of my sin, just as it did for Josiah and the people of Judah.

It's amazing to me that the Word of God was so neglected in those days that it was even worth mentioning that the scribe read it, but how often do we neglect our own Word of God? How often do we go days or weeks without opening the Word? Are we like the Israelites? Maybe it's time for a heart check: Do you regularly read the Word and, if so, does it speak to your heart the way it did Josiah's?

Page Details

I used acrylic paint and stamps to create this page. I watered down the acrylic paint a bit, and then blended it as a background. I used distress oxides to stamp the flower background and added white accents and white paint splatter. I then stamped, fussy cut, and colored the typewriter with my (cheap) alcohol markers 😉

 

 

Friends, may you enjoy your time in the Word of God this week! 🙌

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

                            

All Things New

 "And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Revelation 2:5)

We've had one week of 2021 now. We all hoped that 2020 was behind us, and that 2021 would bring some normalcy back. But this year is already starting with craziness and chaos. The events of this week have pushed back any idea that life would get back to normal. But God never promised us "normal" and problem-free living. He only promised to be with us in whatever we face. When life is too normal, we get too comfortable and complacent. I don't know about you, but 2020 taught me to keep more focused on things above, because things of this world were just too depressing and worrisome.

Revelation 2:5 promises us that God is making all things new, even if 2021 isn't the answer, and of course it isn't. The Bible tells us that this world will only get more challenging as we suffer its sin-sick consequences, and expectantly wait for the Second Coming.  But that day is coming, and THEN He will make all things new. No more Covid-19, no more masks, no more sickness and death. No more political division, no more social and financial instability, and no more racial unrest.  God will make a perfectly problem-free world where we can dwell with Him forever. Until that time, though, we must hold to His promises and His gain strength from His word.  

I created this page while I was at a camp with my family for the New Year's weekend.  Getting back to nature is always restorative and renewing for me, and that's just what this time away provided for me.  Camp Kulaqua is in north Florida, and the weather was typical Florida-winter mild.  The leaves crunched under my feet as I walked outside in the woods.  On two separate occasions, I saw a group of seven young deer. Their spotted backs and small size spoke of a newness and innocence.  How trusting these sweet fawn were as they eyed me from behind the trees.  

Like these younglings represent, we will soon enough see the newness and rebirth of life on this earth.  I pray daily for His soon return, and for the hearts of those who yet need to be reached.  

For this page, I used the fun, new Lollipop Alpha stamp set.  I also used Fur-ever Friends which includes this fawn image.  I masked the deer and the leaves so the image lines didn't intersect, thereby creating a more realistic and uniform picture.  I colored everything with watercolor pencils and then blended them with a wet paint brush.  I finished with a simply drawn border, washi tape, a tab, and splatters.

You can check out how this page came together in a process video over on my YouTube channel or by clicking the video link below.  The products I used are linked below the video (some are affiliate links).  

https://youtu.be/HGDPFFe8jyA

Fur-ever Friends

Lollipop Alpha

Products Used:

Watercolor Pencils

ESV Interleaved Bible

Tonic Studios Glass Media Mat (SBC) or Amazon

Water Brushes:

(Scrapbook.com)

(Adornit)

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Stamp Shammy Cleaner

Heat Tool

Illustrating Bible Mat

Clear Acrylic Blocks

Precision Pens

Signo Uni-ball White Gel Pen

Craft Scissors SBC or Amazon

Illustrated Faith Date Stamp

Tab Punch SBC or Amazon

Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (Mini-Stapler) SBC or Amazon

Illustrated Faith Watercolor Paint set

Signo Uni-ball White Gel Pen

Pitt Big Brush Pens (White #101)

Washi tape from stash

Unseen Blessings

 

I have a confession to make, I have been in a creative funk lately. Ever been in one of those? Well maybe not creatively but we all find ourselves in a funk now and again, where we have just seemed to lose our motivation or inspiration for a little while. I don't know if it's been the busy of the Christmas season or what, but I've been struggling to get it back.

But what I have found helps is just sitting down with some paint and stamps and just play! I wasn't sure where I was going with this when I started, but I put on my worship music and just started playing. While I was scraping paint on a piece of yardstick in this binder clip junk journal I created a few months ago, this song "Blessings You Can't See" came on. 

It got me thinking as I continued journaling. Just think of ALL the things that have been blessings in our lives that we don't even know about! Most people try to count their blessings especially when you're in a hard time and trying to remain grateful. But what about all the quiet unseen blessings we don't even know about?!

I know one thing I am really grateful for the unanswered prayers I said in high school! Back when I thought I knew what I was doing and what was best for me. But those unanswered prayers turned out to be blessings. I didn't know what I needed, but God did. And he strategically removed people from my life to protect my future. 

And how about all the things that never happened to you but COULD have?! For example, I was stopped at a traffic light one afternoon after getting lunch with my kids. The light turned green but I hadn't moved yet because I was checking to make sure I didn't leave my wallet behind. By the time I looked up and saw the light had turned green, a truck came barreling through the red light right in front of us. Had I not stopped to check my purse, our car would have been in the intersection when that truck ran a red light, and either smashed into my door or my daughters. It took a moment to sink in, but I realized what COULD have happened!! A huge blessing that I almost didn't notice. I have no doubt God put that thought in my head that caused me to pause at that light before going. It could have changed our lives forever!

So when you count your blessings at night, try to not forget about the quiet unseen blessings. God is always working behind the curtain. His hand is in everything.

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity

Lollipop Alpha

Made New

With Love Alpha

Mini Grunge Type Alpha

Sing Praises

 

I have slowly been studying the book of Psalms using my Max Lucado Encouraging Word Bible and Matthew Henry Commentary (from my Blue Letter Bible app). If you care to see my comments and personal notes, I've included them below. 🙂

The Psalms are replete with joyful praise to the Lord, but the key theme of Psalm 95-100 is singing praises to God. ♪

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms."

Psalm 95:1-2

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

Proclaim the good news of His

salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonders among all peoples."

Psalm 96:1-2

"The Lord reigns;

Let the earth rejoice;

Let the multitude of isles be glad!"

Psalm 97:1

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

For He has done marvelous things:

His right hand and His holy arm have

gained Him the victory."

Psalm 98:1

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing."

Psalm 100:1

Praising God is so important, but not just when things are going well - even when they aren't. When God puts a new heart in our chest, He also puts a new song in our mouth. If all creation rejoices, why can't we? Short answer: WE CAN! And we should. God has given us so much to praise Him for, let's praise His name together! 🙌

  

  

Page Details

My art page turned into a little explosion of color and music notes! I didn't plan it that way, but it sure turned out that way 😀 I used the Texture Tiles 7 for the music notes background, and Lollipop Alpha for the page title. I had originally stamped the title directly on the page, but decided that I needed some dimension, so stamped with words on cardstock, fussy cut each letter, and stuck it on the page using foam mounts. I watercolored the pink/purple background, and used the Background Builders: Stripes for the thick border lines. I then added some purple splatters and called it good. 

Here are the stamp sets used: 

   

  

Let's join together in praising the Lord this week 🎵

In Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Christ is Born

Hello, friends & Merry Christmas!!!

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Let's talk about why we celebrate Christmas.  The true meaning of Christmas is certainly not found in the over-commercialized holiday that every ad on tv throws at you.  It's not Santa.  It's not found in the presents and food.  The true peace and joy of Christmas is not found in anything earthly.  

The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ, our Messiah.  The Son of God, who swapped his celestial seat for a meager manger.  So, why was the Savior and King born in a stable?  And why was he placed in the animals' trough?  Certainly, God's Son was worthy of a high-profile birth, surrounded by elegance.  Instead, though, God's Son made His appearance on earth in the lowliest of circumstances.  His humble birth sends an amazing message to us:  The all-knowing, all-powerful God came down to us to meet us where we are.  He didn't come as a pampered, privileged ruler.  Jesus was born to humble parents, in meager surroundings to show that He is approachable, accessible and available to all of us.  He longs for a relationship with us and that is where you will find true hope and joy. 

This is why we celebrate Christmas.  I pray that we all keep Jesus at the center of our hearts and homes, not only at Christmas time, but always.  I pray each of you have a Christ-filled Christmas, no matter what the season looks like for you this year.  I pray you are each safe & healthy and filled with peace.  Amen.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  

O, Holy Night

Art Deco Alpha

Marker Alpha

Rebecca Script Alpha

 

Good News

 

Hello and Happy Advent, friends! 

Advent means "Coming" in Latin.  We are celebrating the upcoming birth of Jesus, but not only that.  We also should be in hopeful anticipation of His second coming in to this world.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Oh, the thrill of hope, the shepherds must have felt as they traveled to Bethlehem.  

I don't know about you, but after the year 2020 has been, we could use some hope, huh?  But the truth is, we do!!!  Jesus is coming again!   We should be living with the hopeful anticipation of our Messiah's return.  

To create this page, I used my Cricut to cut out some masks for the shepherds, their flock and the angel.  I blended distress oxides on the page to create the meadow and night sky.  I stamped some grass at the bottom of the page using Scene Silhouettes: Tall Grasses.  I stamped my title with Script Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha.  I added some stars from the Way Maker set and some white paint splatters to finish off the page and to mark my verses.  

Until next time, 

Jill

 

I Am the Bread of Life

 "And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." - John 6:35

I am thoroughly enjoying my study of the "I AM" statements of Jesus in John 6. This chapter is a long chapter (71 verses!), but so rich in teaching, instruction, and truth. To top it off, my pastor's wife has been teaching a Sunday School series entitled "The Lord's Prayer" which ties Matthew 6 ("Give us this day our daily bread") in with John 6 ("I am the bread of life"). Plus, I received an email from one of my Christian blogs this week with a sermon on this very topic. I love it when God does that! 😊

There is so much rich and powerful symbolism in these verses that I'm afraid I can only brush the surface. I highly encourage you to read John 6:22-59 for the full story and spend some time studying these truths on your own. It's far deeper than I ever realized! With that said, I'm going to take just a few minutes to share what I have learned and am learning from the commentaries I've studied, the teachers I've listened to, and of course, the unfailing Word of God.

The "I Am the Bread of Life" statement is the first of the "I AM" statements of Jesus. In this statement, Jesus is saying that anyone who comes to Him "to obtain what the soul craves, and as the only all-sufficient and ordained source of supply shall have conscious and abiding satisfaction" (Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown Commentary). Jesus is the bread that sustains your life and mine - not just physically, but spiritually as well.  

Friends, you and I were created with a deep spiritual need to know our Creator. God created me hungry. But my hunger goes far deeper than my physical need - it is a deep, emotional, spiritual need. It's a need that only the One who created me can fulfill. In these verses, Jesus is showing us the difference between physical fullness and spiritual fullness. The people in John 6 came back to Jesus because he had performed a miracle and met their physical needs (Jesus feeds the five thousand, verses 1-14), but Jesus wanted them to know that He offers so much more than that! He can satisfy not only their physical needs, but their spiritual needs as well. 

Only those who believe on Jesus will find their deepest hunger satisfied.

Jesus uses the example of manna in the wilderness to make His point. The Israelites were obviously very familiar with this story - their ancestors had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, but God sustained them by providing manna daily. The manna couldn't be gathered and stored for future use. No, it had to be used that day or by the end of the day it would rot. Thus the Israelites learned to rely on God for their food daily (verses 30-35). 

"Christ is bread to the soul which bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life as the bread does the physical life."
- Matthew Henry Commentary

It was Jesus who taught us how to pray: Lord, give us this day our daily bread (Matt 6:11). He took the physical illustration of the daily manna in the wilderness and gave you and I the spiritual application. He alone is the eternal food for my soul. He alone can satisfy my deepest hunger. In Jesus' answer to the people, he lifted their eyes from their physical need to their spiritual reality. The truth is:

You can have a full stomach but an empty life.

So often we live empty. We have everything we could possibly need, but we are still empty. When we are living empty, it's because we're not being filled with the right things. That's when Jesus beckons you to come to His table and be filled. You say, "yeah, but how?!" (This is where my Sunday School lessons come in handy 😉 my pastor's wife always has the YBH - yeah, but how do I apply this to my life?) 

Let's be real here - life has a tendency to empty us of God's goodness. We may start our day filled, but little by little, bit by bit, we pour out until there is nothing left. We are living empty. When we live life empty, we live filled with frustration and anger. God says to come to His table and be filled. Go to Him in prayer, get in His Word, and speak truth. In all of life's "emptying" moments, make these two statements:

1. Lord, how can I glorify You in this moment?
2. Thank you, Lord, for what you are going to do. (state your faith) 

"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." - Psalm 107:9

Let the empty hungering be the catalyst for God to work in you and through you. There is a filling up that happens when you speak the truth according to God's Word and focus on what you do have as opposed to what you don't have. Jesus knows your hunger, He understands your emptiness - that's why He gave you the truth  of John 6. He is the spiritual food that will give eternal satisfaction, and is the only source for the consistent peace you need in the emptying moments of life. 

Page Details

I knew I wanted to draw a loaf of bread, but I'm not incredibly artistic so I needed help. I just Googled how to draw and easy loaf of bread and found a quick, two minute YouTube video (seriously, any one could do it!). I then stamped my titles using the I Am and Bitty Minnie Alpha stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, watercolored the loaf of bread using my favorite Prima Marketing Pastel Dreams watercolor paints, and added some grey shadowing. 

(The blue spots are bleed-over from the page next to this one. I'm a messy journaler, what can I say? 🤷😉)

  

May you be filled with the Bread of Life this week, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy