God of the hills and valleys

Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the Lord: "Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 

- 1 Kings 20:28

King Ahab of Israel and King Ben-Hadad of Syria had long been in conflict with one another. Many battles had been fought between the two countries. In 1 Kings, we again see the leaders coming to conflict. This time, however, Syria made a grave mistake: they questioned the power of the God of Israel.

"Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.' And he listed to their voice and did so." - 1 Kings 20:23-25

Ben-Hadad's army leaders thought that the Israelite God could only help them while they fought in the mountains, and that their God would have no power if the battle was fought on the plains. They wrongly assumed that the Israelite God was confined to the hills, and would not, or could not, come down from them. Thus, they advised Ben-Hadad to change the fighting ground from the hills to the plains, where they would surely have the advantage.

Big mistake!

God took the bad theology of the Syrians as a personal insult. He is God the Creator of all heaven and earth. From the highest mountain top to the lowest valley, He created it all! He is not confined to one space, He is omnipresent and omnipotent. He is not a god created by human hands, He is the God of ALL - both the hills and the valleys. Because the Syrians had blasphemed God and His power and omnipotence, God gave Ahab the victory to preserve the honor of His own name. 

"And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber." - 1 Kings 20:29-30

If you go back and read a couple chapters before, you will find the story of Elijah and his encounter with Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. We all know the story - Elijah confidently proves God's mighty power and defeats the prophets of Baal. Jezebel is so enraged she calls for Elijah's death, and Elijah runs for his life. In a matter of days, Elijah goes from an extreme high to an extreme low. So low, in fact, that he just wants to lay down and die.

"And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And  he prayed that he might die, and said, 'It is enough! No, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!'"

You know what happens? An angel of the Lord comes to minister to him in the wilderness, and then the Lord Himself speaks to Elijah in a still, small voice to encourage and direct him in his next steps.

Elijah's high is quickly followed by a low. This is the way of life, even in our spiritual life. Our highs are often quickly followed by our lows. But as Elijah shows - God is with us in both the highs and lows of life. He is the God of the hills and valleys, the Creator of all; and He is the God of the highs and lows, the Comforter of weary hearts. 

My friends, I pray that your heart would be encouraged today knowing that our God is the God of the hills and valley, the highs and lows of life. There is none like Him, no not one. Just as God proved His might to the Syrian army, just as He comforted Elijah in the wilderness, so will He do for you. 💙

A Call for Faith and Endurance

Hi friends,

Looking around at the world today I know that I am in need of endurance and faith. Whether it is the impact of the Covid-19 virus on the world, or the fractious disagreement over politics (which is particularly saddening in the church), or the doctrinal disputes that descend into name-calling and 'cancelling' of our brothers and sisters in Christ, or the increasing secularism that denies the lordship of Christ and dismisses his followers... there is a lot going on that could lead a person to want to give up, stick their head in the sand or lose heart. 

That's why we need to hear the words of Revelation 14:12 which says, 'Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.' In the midst of the strangeness, disorientation and terror of Revelation, the saints are called to be steadfast in their faith. I think we need to hear and receive this encouragement and call today. As followers of Christ, we need to endure the various aspects of suffering and challenge that we are faced with at the moment, drawing on our faith in Jesus and the enabling of the Holy Spirit to keep standing strong. We are not promised an easy or comfortable life, but we are promised the comfort and strength of the Lord when we experiencing trials. I pray that we would respond with endurance and faith. 

I used the new The Lord's Battle to stamp the boots, then masked the top of them and stamped flowers from Country Garden over the top, colouring in the whole image with coloured pencils. I created a background with acrylic paints and Nuvo mousse, then stamped the text using the new Marker Alpha together with Happy Alpha. 

          

May we heed the Lord's call to endure with faith the challenging times we are facing, knowing that Jesus has won the victory already.

Be blessed...

Amy

 

Listen to the Gentle Whisper...

Hi friends,

As I've grown older I have realised the value of quiet and silence. In a world of noise coming from every direction in the forms of music, television, video clips, online opinions, conversations with friends, traffic noise and so many other sources, it seems that silence is increasingly rare.

In all that noise, it is pretty difficult to listen, whether it be to others (with care and attention), to our own emotions and thoughts, or to God. There's a story in the Bible that I have read and heard sermons on more times than I can remember (but I've never journaled it in over 4 years of doing Bible journaling!). I think one of the reasons people keep returning to this story over and over again is because it speaks to us something profound about the way God speaks which is different from the rest of the noise around us. This story is found in 1 Kings 19 and shows the prophet Elijah worn out and depressed from the physical and spiritual battles he has been facing.

Elijah is so fed up that he asks to die. God in his grace sends an angel to feed him, allows him to sleep and feeds him again. After this much needed nourishment and rest (something that we all need!), Elijah journeys to Mt Horeb, known as the mountain of God. When he is there, God not only speaks to him, but reveals something of himself in the process. A great and powerful wind tore through the mountain, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then an earthquake rumbled through the mountain, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. So where was God, if not in the noise and thunder and fire and smoke? Verse 12 says 'After the fire came a gentle whisper.' (NIV) It was this gentle whisper that drew Elijah out of the cave to meet with God. 

The thing about a gentle whisper is that you need to be listening for it and to it in order to genuinely hear it. It doesn't come crashing through all the rest of the noise of life, competing for our attention. Instead, we need to still ourselves and take time to be quiet in order to listen. God can speak in loud volumes, but he often doesn't. He often speaks in a gentle whisper, demonstrating his grace, peace and gentleness with us when we are feeling fragile and alone. Will we make space in our lives and our minds in order to hear him?

I had fun using the new Vintage Love set on this page, along with a couple of alpha sets: Bitty Minnie Alpha (my all-time fave!) and  Happy Alpha. I watercoloured the images and the page around them.

 May you be blessed as you seek to listen to the gentle whisper of God.

x Amy x

Complete Love...

Hi friends,

When I read the Bible I am frequently challenged by the connection made between love and obedience, between faith and deeds. Love is not simply a feeling and faith is not simply a decision to believe in something. Love and faith are active words - they require a lived-out response.

1 John 2:3-6 is particularly challenging!

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

When we obey God, we are demonstrating our love for him. That is how love is made complete in us. 

It is easy when we read verses like this to feel guilt and condemnation because we all fall short of complete obedience. But the aim of these verses is not to heap condemnation on us but to encourage us to live out our love for God by following Jesus' example of obedience. That is a decision that we can make in every moment of the day, whether facing big challenges and trials or a million tiny moments where we can choose to obey God's word or do it our own way. Every time we choose obedience, God's love is being made complete in us, which is pretty amazing!

I created the background for this page by applying a few layers of gesso, then when dry I applied Distress Oxide inks using an oval makeup brush then splattered with water. I stamped the verse using a combination of the new set Fall in Love with Jesus as well as two alpha sets: Happy Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha.

I pray that God's love may be completed in each one of us as we read and obey his word, seeking to follow in Jesus' footsteps.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

The Shepherd Lamb...

Hi friends,

One of my favourite images to study in the Bible is that of a shepherd, particularly as a metaphor for leadership (in fact I'm hoping that will be the focus of my post-grad research for the next few years!). So when I received the new stamp set The Shepherd's Voice I knew I would be creating a lot of pages with it!

When I got this set I did a search on Bible Gateway for the word shepherd and made a note of loads of scriptures I could journal. This verse from Revelation 7:17 really caught my attention:

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Not only is Jesus the good shepherd, he is also the Lamb. He knows what it is like to be one of us, to be governed by bad shepherds, to be vulnerable and mistreated, to be weak. Having experienced what it is like to be one of us, he also laid down his life as the sacrificial Lamb who paid the price of our sin. What an awesome shepherd and leader he is!

This imagery also turns on its head the worldly view of leadership as power and strength... In Jesus we see true leadership modeled as self-sacrifice, compassion and love as a shepherd cares tenderly for his sheep. This encourages me in coming to him in my weakness because I know that he understands. It also challenges me in my leadership of others as I need to remember that leading others in the kingdom of God needs to follow the pattern of Jesus as the sacrificial shepherd. This applies in the home, in the workplace and in the church.

For this page I stamped the lamb and good shepherd/staff images then coloured in pencil. The crown is from another new set from Sweet 'n Sassy called Set Apart. I stamped the verse using a combination of Bitty Minnie Alpha and Happy Alpha. Here are the sets I used:

I'm so grateful to have the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

x Amy x

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

Llots of Llove

But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

Hi Friends!
Valentine's Day is approaching. But to be honest, my husband and I don't really celebrate it. I feel like it's a "made up" commercial holiday focused on getting people to spend money on each other. And I don't need a holiday to tell meI need to show others I love them. Now, I know many people enjoy this holiday, and that's great. It's just not for me. LOL.

God doesn't need a holiday to show us His love either. After all, He IS Love. His love never ends. And, He loves us more than we can imagine. I sometimes take that for granted. I mean, all my life, I've known God loves me. I've known that because of that love, Jesus came and died for me. But, man, when I think about the enormity of that, it's really hard to comprehend. Jesus, the Creator of all, chose to leave His throne, His glory and come to His creation. Not in a palace, not as a King, but as a baby in a manger. The Creator became the created. Can you imagine? Not only did He become a Man, but He willingly went to the cross. He gave His life and took on our sins so that we could be reconciled to the Father. That is amazing love. He loves us more than we can know.

And because He loves us, we should love others. The world is full of hurting people. And hurting people hurt people. I try to remember that when someone treats me badly. Because remembering that helps me not to react badly myself. As a follower of Christ, I am called to love. I'm called to love not only the "easy" people, but "hard" people too. That's something I have to work on. It doesn't come naturally. But I have the power of the Holy Spirit and through Him, I can love more like Jesus. I found a bracelet to help me remember to love. It has "HWLF" on it. It's the answer to WWJD- What Would Jesus Do? He Would Love First. This little visual reminder helps me to love every day, not just on a holiday.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Happy Alpha and Llama Love. I also used watercolor crayons and a white pen.

Thanks for taking the time to read the blog. Have a blessed week! Andrea

Find out what pleases the Lord...

Hi friends,

Have you ever heard those stories of women who long for their husband to bring them flowers but he doesn't realise this and instead shows his love for her by fixing things around the house? No matter how many things he fixes, if the woman thinks that flowers demonstrate love, the fixing will not equal feeling loved. There has been a lot written on 'love languages' over the years and it is really valuable in understanding how to love those around you. I do wonder though whether we ever think about God's 'love language'..?

Ephesians 5:10 urges us to 'find out what pleases the Lord.' It seems that we are not automatically programmed to know what pleases God - we need to search and find this out. God has not left us without a way of knowing though because he has given us his Word, which tells us clearly what pleases God, and what does not please him. You see, we may think that we are doing a bunch of stuff to keep God happy, but we may be neglecting the very things that he values most. Let's dig into the Word of God and find out what it is that pleases the heart of God, then let's make every effort to do those things out of our love for him.

I used the gorgeous Mason Jar Bouquet set on this page, colouring the image with Inktense pencils and blending the colours with an aquabrush. The lettering is a combination of Happy Alpha, Bitty Minnie Alpha and Women of Praise. The butterflies are from Majestic Monarchs which has sadly sold out, but there is a new butterfly set coming in February so watch this space!

Friends, let's find out what pleases the Lord - he is so worthy of our time, attention and devotion!

Be blessed...

x Amy x

I Know the World Needs Jesus

Hey friends and family!

I'm so in love with Jesus.  Can I just say, without the Lord I would be absolutely sunk!  There's so much that comes by being in the family of Christ; so much worked into being linked to Jesus, and there's not enough paper to write it on, according to John the disciple.  :)

Jesus is the hope of the world.
The Word of God in human flesh and form.
The reason for joy; the meaning of love.

Last Sunday, I was able to attend the church service.  Does this sound odd?  Well, in the phase in which I find myself presently (baby, sick kids and fatigue), I find that getting to the church house for fellowship and feeding, ministry and service comes as quite the challenge.  When I get to go, I'm thrilled, refreshed and reconnected with friends I have - SERIOUSLY - not seen in months. 

There's something sweet about the encountering of Jesus in all of the ways mentioned above.  When we fellowship with people of the family of God, we share Christ, unity, bonding, and much more.  When we are fed from the pulpit or classes, we hear Jesus, and our faith is strengthened.  When we minister, we are sharing Jesus' love and hope with others, whether it's a hug of understanding, a warm smile of encouragement, or tears shed for the sake of weeping with those who weep.  Service, of course, shows Jesus' life and light in ways that we don't understand because outside our physical realms lies the heavenly one, wherein angels are entertained, and God omni-present! 

The reflections of Jesus to others (inside or outside the body of Christ) can have such an eternal affect on those around us.  Wherever we are; whatever we are.

As a mom, in particular and especially, I forget what ways I'm impacting my children.  They are my "world."  They are the viewers of my life; the spectators of my day-in-day-out activities and reactions. 
God reminded me of this again last Sunday...

The worship music started.
There was unity in song.
There was blessedness in community.

At one point, I simply stood in silence and listened as those around me as they lifted the name of Jesus.  Sometimes there was 3-part harmony, but I wasn't noting that as much as the squeeze I felt at my side.

My daughter. 

My only daughter.

My child.

She'd stayed with me and stood by me for songs and announcements.  It was just the two of us there at the time as hubster elected to stay with the sicklies of the house, giving me a worship service.  

Very different, yet strangely wonderful. 
As we sang, the phrase, "I know the world needs Jesus," entered the worship hall.  Have you heard this song?
The chorus goes like this: 

"I know the world needs Jesus.
I know the world needs freedom.
So give us eyes to see the hurting and the broken.

Let our lives align with every word You say."

It's beautiful.  Following the chorus, it weighed heavily on me - almost to sorrow - what God was saying by the seemingly random side hug from my baby girl.  "Your children need Jesus, Deirdre.  All five of them.  They all need Me, and you need to show Me to them." 

I cried. 

For the first time in my life as a mom, I realized that the person of Jesus - the Healer, Restorer, Savior, Redeemer, and King - was not the subject of conversation on a regular basis.  My children - my "world" - did not know Jesus, and further still, did not know their need for Him. 

Oh, the shame and pain. 
Oh, the guilt of having hidden the Light under a basket.

That day changed me.  The Spirit opened me up to humbling and recovery.  I need to do things differently at my home.  I even changed the lyrics of the song above in order to better relate to my calling.

"I know my kids need Jesus.

I know my kids need freedom.
So give me eyes to see their hurting and their breaking.
Let my life align with every word You say."

So...I slipped this entry into Proverbs 22:6 which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go.  And when he is old he will not depart from it."  I believe with my whole heart that being the Light in my "world" is a good portion of what it means to train my children in the understanding of God.  My reflecting Jesus, sharing His Word, and being His hands and feet to them can impact them for life in the way they should go!

I encourage you, friends, wherever you are and whatever you are: seek to be Jesus to your "world."  If God has not called you to a full-time ministry as pastor's wife, missionary, bible translator, bible professor, don't worry.  He's called you to full-time ministry as mom, wife, Wendy's employee, amusement park vendor, garbage man, you name it!  In your "world," there are people who need Jesus.  In your "world," there are those who need to taste and see that He is good; they NEED freedom from the chains of sin, death and hell that can only be granted by faith in Jesus the Christ.

I love God the Holy Spirit.  I love His biddings.  Yes, sometimes they are difficult to swallow and digest, but they are timely mercies.  They are gracious urges to do that which is of utmost importance!

In God's mercies and much love,

Deeds

Happy Alpha, Girl Power, Brotherly Love, Sunshine Girl Alpha