I was so moved this week, listening to "Run to the Father" by Cody Carnes.  

Verse 1
I've carried a burden for too long on my own
I wasn't created to bear it alone
I hear Your invitation to let it all go
I see it now, I'm laying it down
And I know that I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

Verse 2
You saw my condition, had a plan from the start
Your Son for redemption, the price for my heart
And I don't have a context for that kind of love
I don't understand, I can't comprehend
All I know is I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh… (Oh-ohh)

Bridge
My heart has been in Your sights
Long before my first breath
Running into Your arms
Is running to life from death
And I feel this rush deep in my chest
Your mercy is calling out
Just as I am You pull me in
And I know I need You now

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
And my heart found a surgeon, my soul found a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Again and again

Oh, what an amazing God we have!  He loves us unconditionally and made a way for all man-kind to be adopted in to the holy family through Jesus.  There is nothing we can do to earn it and we certainly don't deserve it, but He still made a way.  That is grace, my friends!

With the cooler, fall like weather we are having I knew I wanted to journal the lyrics "fall in to grace".  I was lead to these verses in Ephesians 1:

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

After reading and meditating on these verses, the imagery in my head was of God's love falling all around us like leaves in the Fall.  That love was then raked up in to a heaping pile of grace by Jesus and all we have to do is fall in to that amazing grace like we used to fall into leaf piles as children.

Artsy Details: 

I started by using destress oxides smooshed on a piece of watercolor paper and drying between colors to create layers and layers of beautiful, fall leafy colors.  I splattered some gold watercolor paint over the top and some brown ink for contrast.

Then I stamped the leaves using Autumn Splendor and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.

I did not look forward to the next part...I had to fussy cut them all out!  Can I tell you how much I DO NOT like fussy cutting?

I painted my page using acrylic paint.  I went for a golden sunset look that makes fall feel so magical to me. Then I added my title with the new Playful Alpha set and added my leaves falling like God's love and leaf pile of grace.  I just want to jump in it, don't you?

Until next time, catch up with me on Instagram and Facebook @simplyjillsjourney.

Jill

Tiny acorn to Mighty Oak

Hello! November is here! This month at Sweet N Sassy stamps there is a party going on...this month we turn 11! Giveaways, great deals and fun live events are going to be going on all month long over on our facebook and instagram accounts. Today I am sharing a page to kick off gratitude documented as well as continuing through my 100 days of Bible promises book.

This page was such a joy to create...I started with the give him glory stamp and then stamped leaves, pinecones and acorns from the incredibly blessed stamp set. I also drew in a couple large acorns as I wanted them to be more visible on the page. Using my watercolors I dropped in fall colors letting them mingle and mix on the page. The journaling came next followed by a tab party at the top of the page and some wordfetti, puffy hearts and red jute bow.

Psalm 37:3-4 "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Reading this made me remember a sweet story I read to my children about a tiny acorn who was very sad because he was small and overlooked. I loved this analogy of how God takes our tiny acorn lives and grows them into tall mighty oak trees that bring glory to God as they reach up to point to the creator of all.
Father, plant your seeds of desire for your purpose, your dreams and your callings. I am filled with joy when I consider the possibilities! Amen!

Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to share my heart. Stay tuned and up to date with all the fun and festivities over at Sweet N Sassy stamps on Facebook and Instagram.

Love and prayers,
Jenn @creativegurl 85

Change is Good

Happy Fall, ya'll!  What I miss most living in Florida is the lack of seasons.  Here it is October, and we are still in the 90 degrees during the day, and the 80s at night.  We simply do not have much change in the seasons.  I miss the snap in the air warning of the coming cold weather.  I especially love the colors of autumn, when the trees seem to be on fire with reds, oranges and yellows.  

Deuteronomy 1:6 tells of when God said to Moses and the Israelites, who had been camped out in the mountainous region of Horeb for about a year.  "The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount."  God tells them that its time to change their current situation in favor of what He has planned for them, namely possession of the Promised Land.  Had they chosen to stay where they were comfortable and resisted that change, they would not have received that blessing!  

I too often resist change.  It's uncomfortable, tiresome, unpredictable.  But God has a better plan in mind for me.  I just need to trust Him to lead me and protect me.  He's faithful.  His faithfulness is constant, even when He calls me to a change in my situation, job, relationship, etc. Change, when He is leading us to--and through--change, is good!

For this simple page, which has all the fall feels, I used the trees from the new Thrill of Hope stamp set.  I inked the top half of the image with Fossilized Amber Distress Oxides, the bottom half with Barn Door, and the tree trunks and ground with Ground Espresso.  I blended the colors, still on the stamp, with a sponge before I stamped the image.  Next, I stamped the letters C-H-A-N-G-E with the Fossilized Amber,  Barn Door, and Spiced Marmalade, using the Shake It Off Alpha Stamp Set, and then stamped over them with the new Texture Tiles 4 set in Ground Espresso.  Once I cut them out, you could easily distinguish the patterns from the plaid stamps.  I finished with sponging the Fossilized Amber color around my passage, and the edges of the page, added some texture from Texture Tiles 1, added a tab, some journaling, and the date.

Trust God through the changes, friend!  He can and will bless you!

THRILL OF HOPE

TEXTURE TILES 4

SHAKE IT OFF

TEXTURE TILES 1

Autumn Memories

What is it about the changing seasons that evokes such sweet memories? I’m not sure if it’s because families start gathering for family time and the holidays? Or perhaps it’s the coziness of bringing out the sweaters and scarves?

To me, there’s not much more delightful than a drive through the country and being in awe of all the colors. In the fall, God’s palette seems limitless with golds, oranges, reds, and purples. I love when a bright crimson leaf is swirling and dancing in the crisp air.

Can you tell that fall is definitely my favorite season...and my favorite color?

There is just something so comforting about autumn. It’s as if God is embracing me just a bit tighter before the season changes.

Last month, I shared with you from Psalm 91. It was my Daddy’s favorite passage. It is quickly becoming one of my favorites, too, as I ponder it over and over.

These last few days, I have gone back to the comfort of Psalm 91. Verse 2 really resonated with me and I stopped.  I paused.  I prayed.  And I pondered some more.

“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While I love the comforts of fall, and the warm feelings it brings to mind, nothing compares to the safety and comfort of God himself.

David, amidst all the struggles in his life, amidst all the delights in his palace, declared that “God alone” was his refuge and comfort.

How many things do we let try and fill that place in our lives? The comforts of family and home are great, but they can’t begin to measure up to what God has for us.

Last week, my daughter has a horrible scare at her apartment complex. It involved an armed robbery and a shootout in the parking lot right under her apartment window. I was one frightened momma as she was telling the details.  But God...He reminded me that I am not my daughter’s safety, He is. Period.

David continues in verse 2 telling us that “he is my God, and I will trust him.” Do I trust Him? With everything? Do I find my comfort in God alone? Do I proclaim “In Him, there is safety?” or do I put my trust in things...or people around me?

Seasons are always changing. Whether that be the physical season of the weather around us or the emotional and spiritual season within us, change is inevitable. But it doesn’t have to be fearful, because God alone is our refuge and safety.

Much to ponder today my friends. As you make sweet memories in the changing seasons, I encourage you to trust God. He is our comfort!

Art Behind the Story:

Since fall is definitely my favorite, I jumped at the opportunity to use Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps new release Incredibly Blessed.  I love that the stamps are so versatile and that they coordinate with all of my other brands of ephemera and supplies.  

For this page, I applied a light watercolor wash to the background before placing my paper pieces on the page.  I stamped the pumpkin, leaves, and the acorns on cardstock.  I messy water colored them, and then fussy cut them to create my own die cuts.  Next, I just had fun creating this fall page and pondering the comforts of our God.

Let me know what your favorite fall things are in the comments.

Hugs, 

Gayle

Patio Ponderings

Pondering

“Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭111:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬


Recently, I had the privilege of traveling back to Iowa to visit some long time friends. These verses just speak for themselves to describe my thoughts on our visit.

“Praise the Lord! I will thank God with my whole heart.” Yes! I was singing His praise and so full of thankfulness to visit with them. 

“...as I meet with his godly people.” Going to church with my friends and worshiping alongside them was the highlight of my trip.

“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!” Observing the interaction between my friends and their church family blessed my heart. God is using them tremendously and it was so evident that they were right where they needed to be.

“All who delight in him should ponder them.” May I never cease to be amazed at God and never cease pondering His ways! 



________________


Art behind the story:

The August 2018 Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps stamp of the month “Give Thanks” was perfect to use for this page. I stamped the leaves and acorns along the edge of the margin, and then stamped the phrase. You’ll notice that the phrase stamp is actually straight, but the image is curved. This effect was achieved by slightly curving the clear stamp as I adhered it to the block. Lastly, I used watercolors to color the images and the background. 

Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings