He Set Me Free

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been SET FREE from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 6:20-23

The world has sold this lie that being a Christian means living by a set of "rules" - a long list of things you can and can't do. When I was a teenager, I hated the rules. I hated being told what I could and couldn't do. I just wanted to be like everyone else and do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

I was 15 when I had my first drink of alcohol, 16 when I got pregnant, 17 when I got kicked out of my house, 18 when I first experimented with drugs, and 19 when I realized I was alcohol-dependent. My choices as a teenager set my course for the next 10 years. I had all the “freedom” in the world, but I was never more chained down.

When I came back to the Lord in my mid-twenties (that’s a story for another day, if you ever want to hear it 😉), I continued to struggle with my drinking. I told myself I had it under control, I told myself it is not a sin to have a drink (after all, people in Bible times drank alcohol, for goodness sake!), I told myself it wasn’t hurting anybody, I told myself it wasn’t a problem if no one knew about it. I told myself lie after lie to make myself feel better and avoid dealing with the real problem. God is a jealous God and He has made it clear in His Word that we are not to have another other god before Him. My alcohol dependency was my god, and I knew it. It was more important to me than pretty much anything, certainly more important than my relationship with God. I was stuck in a vicious cycle, battling my wants with what I knew God wanted from me.  

Thankfully, God didn’t leave me in my bondage. He continued to work on my heart until I had a crazy idea: what if I went a whole year without one drop of alcohol?! It was nearing the end of the year, everyone makes new year’s resolutions, what if I decided to give God everything and not have one drop of alcohol for one, whole year? I reasoned with myself, “it’s only one year, if nothing changes I haven’t lost anything, I can always go back to the same routine, no harm no foul.” So, I did it. I committed to one year of no alcohol, completely sold out for Christ in every area of my life.

What a year that was!! God broke me and remade me, and in the process completely remade and restored my family. It was the most difficult, but freeing year of my life, and at the end of that year, I knew I could never go back to who and what I was. I spent 15 years of my life chained down by alcohol and poor decisions, living under the pretense of “freedom.” My “freedom” almost destroyed me and almost destroyed my family. I can tell you without a doubt that there is no freedom like the freedom I found when I gave every area of my life over to Christ. I was no longer in bondage to who I was, I was a new person. I’ll love the Lord forever for saving me, for saving my family, and for setting me free.

If your story sounds a bit like mine, take heart, God’s not finished with you yet. Hold onto the promise of Isaiah 43 – “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” He makes all things new, and that includes you too.

If you have something that you are holding onto, something that is standing in the way of your deepening relationship with your heavenly Father, I urge you to make a commitment today to give it up. For me, it was alcohol. It might be something different for you, but you know deep in your heart that God will never have complete control of your life until you let it go. Let me encourage you by saying that the freedom you will find by being completely surrendered to Christ is far better than that thing you think you can’t give up.

The world tells us that being a Christian means living by rules. In reality the complete opposite is true. When I think of the bondage I lived in for so many years, my heart breaks. I was so lost, so chained down, so broken, and I didn’t even know it until Christ set me free. True freedom can only be found in Christ.

❤

I love using the ESV Scripture Journals because of all the blank space to write notes, paint, and journal! This page has a lot of meaning to me, but it was fun and easy to do. For real! I just used distress oxides and the Freedom in Christ, Texture Tiles 1, and Typewriter Text Background stamp sets to create this page. See my step-by-step process below. 😊

                

                 

I hope and pray that my story encourages you in your walk with Christ. He never meant for us to live in bondage, He meant for us to live free in Him. Surrender to Him today and know what it's like to be FREE. 

(This is me and my handsome family. My high school sweetheart with whom, by the grace of God, I've been in love with for 19+ years; my 17 year old son, Alex; my 15 year old son, Tyler; and my 10 year old adoptive son, Dakota. Isn't God good?)

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Hop on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps shop to see this month's new releases as well as the other stamps I used for this page 😊:

Holy Holy Holy!

Hello lovelies! It's May and I am very excited to share this months new stamp sets with you all! You are totally going to want to run on over to the shop and preorder/order these new stamps in the shop HERE. Today I am sharing a page from my hymnal ...

I normally never prep pages using gesso because... well I am lazy! However in this very old vintage hymnal I decided to use a very thin coat of clear gesso so the inks and stamping didn't bleed through. I used the 'Holy' stamp from the Joint Heirs stamp set and stamped it using my Distress inks in evergreen bough, picked raspberry, mustard seed and mowed lawn. I used a stencil with the same inks to create the floral image on the page. I really find great joy and satisfaction in using up the supplies I have laying around from past kits or projects, which is why I pulled out this praise tip in from an old Illustrated Faith kit as well as some stickers and cut outs. I stamped the, earth and of, His from the Joint Heirs set in StazOn black and mowed lawn. The word glory came from the All in All set and I first stamped it in StazOn black then offset it with the mustard seed. Now lets dig into the deeper meaning...

This hymn is probably familiar to many of you reading this. Our mouths have probably uttered the words Holy a time or two am I right? We may even say it and no longer elicit any deep emotion as we say them. Which got me thinking .... what does "holy" mean, and why is it repeated three times? Isaiah 6:1-3 "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Wow can you just imagine! Holy means something or someone is exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. The word "holy' dates back to the 11th century with an old English word halig derived from the word hal meaning 'whole' and is used to mean "uninjured, sound, healthy, entire and complete." So when the seraphim are singing holy, holy, holy they are proclaiming He is the uninjured, spotless lamb of God who is to be exalted as the one who took away the sins of the world. Ok, now onto why holy is said three times...it was a number of completion or perfection, as we see through the trinity, and in the book of Revelation 4:6,8. The holiness of God is indescribable in human language; therefore, the heavens proclaimed and provided the revelation of the eternal. This beautiful hymn allows us to use our voices to surrender our hearts to experience God's mercy and love as well as enable us to proclaim God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to the world.

Thanks so much for stopping by I hope you leave feeling a sense of awe of our holy Father God. I encourage you to slow down and really listen and study the words you are singing; meditate on the merciful, loving God we serve.

Love and prayers,
Jenn @creativegurl85

Sunshine

Then let not grief your heart beguile

Meet every trouble with a smile

Are any sad, go make them glad

And live in sunshine all the while

-Live in Sunshine, Katharine A. Grimes

Hi Friends!
Spring is here, and with it sunshine and warmer weather. My favorite seasons are spring and summer. I was born and raised in Texas, and I LOVE the heat. My family and I lived in Michigan for a while. One particularly hard winter, I had the weather on. It was mid-March and the weatherman mentioned that we had only had 15 minutes of sunlight between January to March that year. That winter seemed very harsh even though we didn't have as much snow that year. Just the fact that there was little sunlight made a huge difference.

But, we have a greater Light than the sun. When I first saw this hymn, it made me think of the song, "You Are My Sunshine." I hadn't heard this hymn before, but it's theme is that by abiding in Jesus, we can live in joy. And, so like the hymn says, we can live in sunshine all the time- no matter how many clouds are in the sky, or in our lives. Jesus takes the darkness away. Jesus loves us unconditionally. He is radiant and deserves all glory. Jesus is my sunshine.

Page details: I used Marquee Caps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I stamped with distress oxide inks. Then I outlined the letters and the sun with a Micron pen. I used watercolor crayons to color in the sun.

Live in His Light, my friends! Have a blessed week. Andrea

Speak faithfully...

Hi friends,

It is an enormous privilege to have access to the Word of God. There are so many people around the world that either can't afford a bible, aren't allowed a bible, or don't have a the bible translated into their own language. The access we in first world nations have to Scripture is astonishing.

With that access comes several responsibilities though. Firstly, we need to not take this access for granted and should seek to study God's Word diligently and carefully, following the leading of the Holy Spirit as he directs us as to how we need to apply his words to our lives.

The  other responsibility we have is to share God's Word faithfully with others. There are so many ways we can do this, whether in conversations with friends, in sharing the good news of the Gospel, or in preaching and teaching. One way of sharing that has increased hugely in the last few years is through social media, and for us in particular, through Bible Journaling.

One of the things that I have been thinking about in my own art and sharing of the Word is how I do that faithfully. For me, faithfulness to Scripture means studying diligently, learning from others, speaking and listening with humility, and embracing the whole counsel of God. That means engaging with the harder-to-understand or difficult-to-hear texts and not just sticking with the ones that make us or others feel nice. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness. So as we engage with, journal, illustrate and speak God's Word, we need to explore both the Old and New Testaments, gospel and history, Psalms and prophets, encouragement and rebuke. And in all of this, we need to look for and to Jesus, who said that the Scriptures testify to him (Luke 24:27; John 5:39).

I tried the 'no-line watercolour' technique on this page using the beautiful new Delightful Daisies set. To achieve this look, you stamp the outline images using a light ink (I used Versamagic Sage) then using watercolour, add colour and shading to the flower centres and each petal. It does take a while, but it's a great way to practice colouring skills! The verse is a combination of alpha stickers along with His Name and Bitty Minnie Alpha (my favourite alphabet set!).

Let's be grateful for the access we have to the Word of God and take seriously our responsibility to share it faithfully...

x Amy x

Use Your Gifts

Now King Solomon sent and called Huram out of Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre who worked in bronze, and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to make all sorts of items in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and performed all his work. 1 Kings 7:13-14

Friends-

I hope you had a blessed day yesterday celebrating our dear Savior's resurrection. Jesus is alive! He is worthy of our praise and devotion. Part of that devotion is using our talents for His purpose. After all, He gave us those talents. In 1 Kings 7 we are told of a man named Huram. He was from the tribe of Naphtali. He had lost his father at some point; but before his father's death, he had taught Huram what he knew in bronze work. God had gifted both these men in the working of bronze. And Huram used his gift for God's purpose by making many of the bronze furnishings for the temple.

God has gifted each one of us with talents. What if we used them to further His purpose? Think of the impact we could have in this world. It could be as simple as Bible journaling and sharing what you learn as you study and journal on social media. That's why I share on social media. It's not to get likes or to be told my art is pretty. God gave me some arting abilities. So, this is one way I can use them for His purpose. I pray that the pages and thoughts I share bring Him glory, that they draw others nearer to Him. And that's just one small way. Of course, our talents can be used for Him in every part of our lives- at home, at our jobs, with the people we come in contact with daily. Let's use our gifts for God!

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Walk Humbly, All in All, Typewriter Blocks Alpha, Teeny Alpha, Girl Power, and Home for the Holidays. I used the tiny flower from Girl Power to decorate the skirt. I used watercolor crayons as well.

 Have a blessed week! Andrea

Shine

Hey everyone! Have you all checked out the fabulous new stamps released this month?....if not, jump over to the shop HERE and check out the lovelies added this month. I always have a hard time picking and choosing which sets I prefer to work with! The Marquee Caps Alpha is one of my favorites this month. I love the bold letters.

I began by stamping out my title 'Shine' using the 'Marquee Caps Alpha' onto cardstock paper using black StazOn ink. I added a dash of yellow in the dots and then fussy cut around the letters and set them on the page. Then I sketched in some lanterns and hanging lights. I used a little yellow watercolor to create the illusion of glowing lanterns and lights and to also pop the sketch a little more off the page. Finally I added my title, filled in some journaling and highlighted my verses. This is a simple page...if drawing is scary or intimidating you can always use the Starry Sanctuary printable and add those gorgeous images to your pages. I find that doodling is a fun way for me to spend some extended moments pondering and meditating on the words.

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And  when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face."  Exodus 34:29-33

I have read the story of Moses receiving the ten commandments so many times, but in the last couple years Jesus has caused me to see a part of this in a new light. Moses went on top of Mt Sinai in Exodus 34 to talk to God and receive instruction and when he came down in verses 29-35 something remarkable happened. The people saw a visible change in Moses's appearance...his face shone. It even said that Moses had to wear a veil because the glory of God was so thick on him that the Israelites couldn't look at him. WOW that is some intense Jesus time! So this has me thinking...Does my face shine? Do people look at me and wonder whats up?

Father, let my face shine bright! When people around see me may they be drawn in curious and wanting to know more. My life goal is for everyone around me to see me and say..."She's been with Jesus!" Amen

Thank you all for stopping by I pray you go out into your Easter weekend and shine bright!
Hugs and prayers!
Jenn @creativegurl85

The Righteous Will Flourish

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him." - Psalm 92:12-15

There is so much truth packed in these few, small verses in Psalms. The Bible says that the wicked will flourish as the grass, which soon withers (Psalm 92:7), but the righteous flourish as the palm tree, which is long-lived and does not change in winter. In fact, the palm tree thrives under heavy pressure or weight. The more it is pressed down, the more it grows - just as the righteous flourish under their burdens. Being rooted in the house of the Lord causes us to flourish even in the most difficult of situations. I love this excerpt from the Matthew Henry Commentary: "Where God gives true grace he will give more grace. God's trees shall grow higher, like the cedars, the tall cedars in Lebanon. They shall grow nearer heaven, and with a holy ambition shall aspire towards the upper world. They shall grow stronger, like the cedars, and fitter for use."

God wants us to be like the palm trees - deeply rooted in His clean soil, strong under pressure, growing tall and proud, and producing good fruit for Him and for His glory.

I used Distress Oxides, Tombow markers, and the Walk Humbly, Bitty Minnie Alpha, and Marquee Caps Alpha stamps sets to illustrate this page. I covered the text I wanted to highlight with washi tape and used blenders to blend three Distress Oxide colors over the page. I splattered drops of water all over the page to give it that water oxidized effect, then I stamped the Walk Humbly girl and the Bitty Minnie Alpha stamps. On a separate piece of regular computer paper, I stamped the letters to the work FLOURISH, then fussy cut them out, and used adhesive tape to apply them to the page. I then finished with some random stamping, used a couple Tombow markers to outline the girl, punched a tab, hand-lettered the title, put down some washi, and 'voila' - finished! 😍

I'm praying you are flourishing in the Lord today and throughout this week. ❤

Janelle
@journalingjoy