Bring a Gift of Laughter

When you think of birthdays, what comes to mind? Do you have a favorite memory from childhood? Did you have special parties with lots of friends, or celebrate with family?

Growing up, because my dad was in the Air Force, we were often away from family when birthdays rolled around. But, that didn’t mean we were without birthday fun!

Momma always baked a cake...either a carrot cake or our family favorite, a Sam Houston cake. Daddy would grill burgers and hot dogs for us. We had an old fold up metal table that was about 6 foot long. It was blue in case you were wondering.

In the middle of the living room was that long table filed to the brim with all the fixings and surrounding the table would be neighborhood friends and my family. I can still hear the giggles, smell the food, and taste that cake!

What a precious gift my parents would give me...they were creating memories for me. Nearly 50 years later, I still remember this one particular party. I couldn’t tell you what any of the gifts were, but I can sure recall the love that was in our home that day.

I used to always curl up next to Momma and Daddy and tell them how happy the day made me. Even then, I was a people person and got my batteries charged by being with everyone. I’m sure that my parents hearts were full hearing that my heart was full. 

In Psalm 100, we are told “On your feet now—applaud GOD! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100:1-2‬ ‭MSG‬

Imagine with me how full God’s heart must be when we stand on our feet, throw up our praise hands, and with laughter shout out to Him “wow, God...you are so good!” 

Praising God with laughter and joy is the gift He deserves! Not because He has done a thing for us...but just because He is God. And He is good. And love. And just. And merciful. And and and. He is God and He is worthy of all our praise!

As I reflect on this birthday that has just passed, my heart is so full. God truly blessed me as many of you loved on me with your sweet words, thoughtful prayers, and love over a meal. I want to praise God for loving me in this way.

But mostly, I want to lift up my praise hands, with laughter in my heart, just because He is God!!

Art behind the story:

The Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps new October All Wrapped Up set was perfect for me for this month!! I loved using it to stamp all the birthday presents. It’ll be great for Christmas...and for year round. I stamped several presents, used the stamp of the month Texture Tiles 4 for “coloring” the presents, and then fussy cut and paper pieced them. The words from the Women of Praise set were perfect for this passage. The background was done with a watercolor wash and then the “confetti” paint drops were splattered on top.

Have fun creating!

Gayle
Patio Ponderings

Behold The Lamb

Look to Him. Look at the Lamb. Behold the Lamb of God. Read more here...

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:29‬ ‭NIV‬

The thing about Christianity is I become less obsessed with me. Or I should. I don’t have to be anybody or impress anyone. I don’t have to measure up... because I know I’ll fail. I don’t have to explain or justify myself. I just have to confess it and be honest about who I am. And believe in who Jesus is and what happened in and by His life. It’s not about me feeling better or being better. It’s learning about who God is. Why He created us. Why He wants a relationship with us? How do we have a relationship with Him.  Is it important? Does it matter who we think Jesus is?  In that passage John is saying STOP. Stop everything. The Lamb of God is standing before you. The ONE who takes away the sins of this world. The ONE who will die on the cross for me. For my own failures. For my selfishness. For everything I’ve done and not done. For not living to bring Him glory. Stop and soak that in. We’ve heard it a thousand times. But He’s there in front of us. The Lamb who was and is slain. 

How do we miss Him? Or reject Him? Or ignore Him? He came so we could see Him. So we could see weakness as strength. To see humility and selflessness. To see honor and love. To see wisdom and guidance. Everything He did was perfect. Everything He was doing was bringing glory and honor to God. He lived and set an example. He died in love to set us free. He rose from the grave to give us life everlasting. He did it all for us to see. To believe. To live. 

BEHOLD THE LAMB. Look at Him. Look to Him. Let’s those words flow through you and change you. 

Art Talk
I used Distress Oxides for the background. Stamp sets used were Thrill of Hope, Worthy King, chunky Alpha. Rebecca Script.

Blessings,
Colleen

The First Noel

HELLO FRIENDS!

As I steep in the warm feelings of Fall, I become very excited about what is to come.  

Snow.  

Cold.  

Christmas…

It's a blessed thing to remind ourselves - even as we baste in Fall flavoring - that something incredible happened on a cold, miserable night a very, very long time ago. 

It's a wonderful story: young couple seeks shelter in busyness and mayhem of a city fraught with the oblivious and unknowing.  Said young couple is resigned to a "suite" weighted down in the stenches of old animal feed, animal dung and dust. 

Holding on by sheer will power, as the pain grows and persists, Mary breathes the dusty air and exhales hope made possible by the Spirit that fills her.  She is cold.  She is scared.  She is brave.  She is strong.  She bears down, and within moments becomes the mother of the Light of the world. 

This Light interrupts the darkness of the stable.  This Baby replaces thoughts of fear with His first human cry, loud and strong.  His presence ushers in an unfamiliar but welcomed peace, while His tiny body is swaddled for protection.

There was no night like this.  No night like this Noel.

Nuvo drops helped me get a more 3-dimensional affect
for the stars in the sky.

Colors used are shown above.

When we read the account of Jesus' birth,  we forget that He entered humanity and lived humanity.  He did this to present humanity fully before God as His first love and vow.  This birth was beyond anything Mary or Joseph would experience.  It was far more spectacular than anything the Shepherds had witnessed as lowly and forgotten as they may have been.  It was far more anticipated than the Magi ever knew as they traveled long, hard hours to behold a prophesied King.  This Noel was Jesus' Noel.  His timely birth became the catalyst through which God would Redeem His people.  The Messiah had come, and the world could not comprehend.

We're not given to gratitude, but I think even the most grateful of people could not quite come close to the thankfulness due to the Lord for His act of loving-kindness.  Jesus is His tender mercy to us; our one and only Hope for eternity with the Father.  In His birth, Jesus fulfills God's promise of a coming Savior.  By his Life, Jesus demonstrates His grace, mercy and compassion for the world.  By His death, Jesus satisfies the wrath of God making it possible for this crumby, undeserving world to know and receive Him.  Oh, that First Noel!

That First Noel - Jesus' transition from glory to lowly - is remarkable, beautiful and definitely worthy of song!

Embossing powder aided my attempt to make the snowflakes and deer
stand out above the darker areas.

God bless, and much love,

Deeds

Be Still

Hello friends, it is so great to be back here sharing my Bible with you all. Today my baby is seven weeks old...how is that possible?! I have been slowly finding time between the marathon nursing sessions and cuddles to journal and dig back into the word. Over these last few weeks the words "be still" have been resonating in my heart. God has been reminding me it's ok to just rest in His presence, and allow Him to fill my tired, weary heart. what better way to illustrate this then with the latest stamp set coffee and Jesus.

I used the sunshine girl alpha, some tiny alpha stickers and hand lettering to create the title for the page. The fun coffee rings and splatters were created using a brown watercolor paint. I painted the bottom edge of the cup and stamped it, so it encircled the verse. The rest of the page I simply stamped a few of the coffee images in brown or black ink and colored then in with watercolors.

The message translation often has a new fresh perspective I enjoy reading. Psalm 46:10 says "take a long, loving look at me, your high God." I so needed to hear this, maybe you need these words this week too! It's ok to slow down and rest in the grace and goodness of God. I find it so easy to get caught up in the busy work of being momma that I forget to take time for the relationship that really matters...my heavenly Father. I invite you to sit down, put on the praise music, open your Bible, pour a giant mug of coffee or tea and let the grace of God fall fresh on you and revive your heart.

Father, help me stop and meditate on your goodness. let my focus rest on your insurmountable greatness, grace and love. Amen!!

Hugs and prayers, Jenn @creativegurl85

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

A Life of Praise

Hi friends,

I've been really enjoying studying the Psalms this term at college and have learnt so much already about the nature of praise and worship, as shown to us in the examples of the psalms. One of the things I have found fascinating is seeing how the whole book of Psalms unfolds from a position in the earlier psalms of distress and lament to a posture of praise at the end of the book. If you read the last five psalms you will notice a strong theme of praise that includes every part of creation. This structure of moving from distress and difficulty to praise for God's love and faithfulness is also seen in many of the individual psalms.

This has really made me think about the way we praise God in our own lives. The psalms show us that it is totally ok - in fact encouraged - to bring all of our lives to God (warts and all!). We can pour out our hearts to him in total honesty about how we feel and what is happening to us. But here's the thing: it shouldn't end there. There should be a BUT moment, where we choose - despite the circumstances - to praise God for who he is and what he has done. There are so many reasons to praise our God (and the Psalms give us lots of examples that we can follow) that no matter how dark it may get, we can always lift our head in praise and allow his light to shine in our hearts.

I created this page in Psalm 146 as a declaration of my heart, which desires to praise the Lord at all times, for as long as I live, no matter the circumstances, in every season - because he is good, faithful and loving, and he is the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of all things. PRAISE THE LORD!!

I used the fun new Texture Tiles 4 stamp set (October's Stamp of the Month) for the panel at the side - I love how you can create your own patterned paper effects with this! I also used Armor of God, Refresh my Soul and Teeny Alpha along with some alphabet stickers to create the verse. The other fun new product I've used on this page is Diane's Starry Sanctuary Printable Bundle & Devotional. There are so many lovely images to print and use in a variety of ways. I printed mine on clear sticker paper, then cut out by hand and stuck on this page once I had stamped and sponged the background. Here are the new goodies I've used on this page:

I want to encourage you to pour out your heart to God, and in the process to choose praise as the final word in your situation. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!!

x Amy x

Thankful For My Tribe!

Matthew 18:20

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, 

there am I among them."

As some of you may already know, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps hosted their very first retreat this past weekend in Savannah, Georgia. This was the first bible journaling retreat I have ever attended and it was nothing short of an amazing weekend! To see such a wonderful group of God fearing women come from all OVER the country, to one place to share their love of art and God together was truly awesome! For me, this retreat was not only a chance to spend lots of time in God's word, but to meet some of the women I have become friends with online for over a year face to face! This weekend was truly an example of just how good God really is.

Verse Matthew 18:20 says,"Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." God was present with us at the retreat all weekend. You could see Him through our artwork, our sweet conversations, testimonies, our worship songs each morning, and through all the wonderful fellowship! We gathered in His name and you could feel him all around us and see Him as some had tears of joy in their eyes. If you have never attended a christian or bible journaling retreat, I highly recommend it! I am already praying I will be able to attend the next one we are talking about hosting next year! You won't regret it. Each lady at the retreat left with their hearts overflowing and truly blessed! I am incredibly thankful for my tribe of ladies and to call you sisters in Christ! 

Creative Details:

This page features a few fun fall items. The background is actually one of our older stamps called Falling Leaves and it made such a fun and subtle background. I stamped a few different colors of Distress Oxides on the leaves to create a varied, natural look. The pumpkins are pieces from a super quick printable called Sunflowers and Pumpkins. See the images below for a list of all of the stamps I used on this page.

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

Sunflowers and Pumpkins Printable 

Falling Leaves

So Incredibly Blessed

Love Your Neighbor

Classy Script Alpha