You are Mine

How blessed are we? How lucky are we? That the Lord of all Lords asked US to be mine?! 

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You know what- actually, he didn’t even ask- he declared! I have called you by name..YOU ARE MINE. In all our mess, in all our sin he redeems us and declares us His! 

Sometimes I know I don’t feel claimable, so unworthy...but He has made me worthy. 

So forever and ever - You are Mine, and I AM YOURS! 

🥰 Brittany Carleton 

Www.instagram.com/britcarleton 

* I used our new alpha “Happy Alpha” and “His Love” set along with some sticks Washi and watercolor! Also shown is a little texture using our Texture Tiles 1 set! 

You, Lord, Raise Me Up!

But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,

and raise me up...

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God for a shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Psalm 41:10, 42:5

If we are honest, we have to confess there is much in this life to get us down, so weary us, to confuse and create turmoil within.   I think of Hannah in 1 Samuel and how she suffered to the point of deep depression over her life's circumstances. Or what about Elijah, so frightened by the evil power and death threats of Jezebel that he ran as far away as he could and begged God just to take his life.  We experience enemy assault, the pressures of life, loss, and tiredness and we can certainly understand being downcast and wanting to run away.  And at the very moment we feel ourselves losing our grip, God grabs hold!

God promises again and again that he will not leave us or forsake, that we never have to figure out life on our own.  He will come to us at our point of need and raise us up.  He will lift us by his mighty hand above our circumstances to see things from his perspective.  He will walk with us in the middle of trouble and he will absorb all that would harm us if we relinquish all to him.  

In God there is always, forever hope.  He will raise us up.  Once we surrender to his Lordship, we can never be defeated.  The victory is already ours.  If you feel like you're falling, look up, reach out to God and let him grip you and lift you up. 

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Design Detail:

• watercolor paints on the background, flamingo and the heart-balloons applied with a water brush
• texture was created with a stamp
• Sets Used:

 Candy Hearts

 Be a Flamingo

Prayer 101

It’s great to know that when we need answers, we have a great textbook readily available to us. In the book of James, we are told if we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask. 

“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 ‭NLT‬‬

Learning about prayer is the same way. It’s all laid out for us in the gospels. Jesus teaches a model prayer often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. We often want to jump straight to it, but Jesus prefaces it with some specific instructions.

He tells us in Matthew 6:6:

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (MSG)

I love that He is so specific.

“Find a secluded place.”

“Just be there simply and honestly.”

Then, when our posture, position, and place is right, He tells us that “the focus will shift from you to God.”

Without the preparation, our hearts and minds will still be on #allthethings instead of where it needs to be: on Him.

With my word of the year being “abide”, I knew that prayer would be an integral part of it. Not only is the Lord teaching me to draw near and abide with Him, He is showing me clearly just how to do that.

My hope is that this will challenge you to examine your posture, position, and place as you spend time with the Lord in prayer.  

Art behind the story:

With the release of Filagree Hearts this month as the stamp of the month at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, I knew I wanted to use this set everywhere!

The background was done with a wet on wet watercolor technique, and then the additional visual texture was added with stamps from that same set, as well as another favorite Grunge Elements 2.

I stamped several Filagree Hearts on paper and fussy cut them.  I wrote the verse out on some patterned cardstock, and then added the "aged" look with the Grunge Elements 2 and pens.  

Lastly, I added the title with the Happy Alpha and finished it off with a fabric clip and some washi tape.

Hope you enjoy all the new releases this month, but mostly, I pray that using them to create for Him will be precious time well spent.

Until next time,

Gayle

Patio Ponderings

Be Humble, Gentle and Patient

Ephesians 4:2-3

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace."

I don't know if it's because Valentine's Day is approaching or what, but I woke up super grateful for my husband the day I created this page. My husband and I don't pay too much attention to Valentine's Day in particular, mainly because our anniversary is the next month and we rather focus on and celebrate that occasion instead. But it's also important that we celebrate our significant other all the time, not just on special occasions. 

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day activities and to-do lists that its really easy to take each other for granted! I know I'm guilty of it myself sometimes! We all are at one point or another. When you're a part of a couple, you each have you're own role, or duties you typically take care of while you partner has others. And sometimes, you get so use to your husband or wife taking care of those things, you take it for granted that they always get done. 

There are some days my husband comes home and all I can seem to do is focus on negative things, or the things he isn't doing. And in turn, sometimes he comes home and instead of seeing how much I took care of all day long, he only sees the laundry that is still sitting on the sofa, or the kids toys on the floor, dinner not cooked, etc. It's all too easy to see and point out things someone isn't doing. But it is so important that we seek out and celebrate the best thing is our husbands and wives. We all have our own set of pressures that others can't always see. Pressures we sometimes hide from others because we don't want to burden them with that stress.

Ephesians 4:2-3 tells us we should be humble, gentle, and patient. Bearing with one another in love! God brought me to my husband, paired us together and blessed us with the life we are living and I could not be more grateful. He is my rock when things get rough, my biggest supporter, the father to my children, my friend and my love. He works so hard to support his family and he loves us unconditionally. What more can you ask for? So I need to continue to remind myself to be humble, gentle, and patient when things may seem less than perfect. I can't always see all the stress swirling around in his head, and he can't always see mine. So we need to bear with each other, through it all, and grow together in love. 

Life isn't perfect, it's just not possible. So hold on to the people God has blessed you with, and treat them with love and respect. 

Prayer: Thank you Lord for my husband! I am beyond grateful for him and all the blessings we have in our life. Please help me to not lose sight of the little or big things. I pray that I always see the best in him and that I can always be a loving and supportive wife. May we always make you the center of our marriage. 

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

His Love 

Skinny Caps Alpha 

Grunge Elements 2

Mini Grunge Type Alpha 

Texture Tiles 3

Bitty Minnie Alpha

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

Sweet on You

Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves. Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful." Song of Solomon 1:15-16

Hi Friends!

Today I'm in Song of Solomon, a book of love. This book tells the love story between a king and his bride. It's an allegory of God's love for us. Throughout the Bible, there are many verses that speak to how much God loves us. And, Christ is portrayed as the Bridegroom with the church as His bride. In Revelation 19:6-9, the marriage supper between Christ and the church is described. So, you could say, He is sweet on us! Not because of anything we've done, or because of who we are, or because we deserve it. He loves us because that's who He is- Love.

It's His character. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, love is described. And the love described is God's love for us. His love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It's not dishonoring, self-seeking, or easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. It delights in truth, protects, hopes, never ends...never fails. Wow. God's love for us is truly amazing. Look what He did for us because of that love: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) I'm sure most of us are familiar with that verse. We know what Christ did for us. But please don't take it for granted. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He chose the cross. He knew every one of our sins, and all the times we would betray Him, and even then, He chose the cross so that we could be redeemed. He loves us that much. There really are no words that adequately describe that kind of love.

So know, friends, that you are truly loved. On those days that the world beats you down, when you feel unlovable, remember He's sweet on you. He loves you. He is with you every step of the way.

Page details: I used 2 brand new sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Heart Candy and Happy Alpha. They are both so much fun! I used scrapbook paper to piece together the candy box. And I highlighted the letters with a white pen.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Guard your Heart...

Hi friends,

Have you ever heard a verse quoted so often that it begins to lose meaning for you? Or maybe its been quoted out of context in an unhelpful way? I've heard the verse 'Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life' (Prov 4:23) many, many times. Unfortunately, it was often in a context of covering or excusing other people's words and behaviour and laying  responsibility at the feet of the person who had potentially been hurt. For this reason I got to the point of almost 'eye-rolling' when I heard this verse - which I admit is a very poor response to the word of God! It really is the opposite of 'guarding your heart' ironically!

So as we approach Valentine's Day (and I have heart-themed stamps to play with!) I looked up 'heart' in the Bible and this verse came up. Instead of rolling my eyes, I decided to illustrate this in my Bible and meditate on this scripture in order to hear God's truth. The thing that I realised is that guarding our heart is not about not letting hurt or disappointment touch or affect us. It's not about being robots that don't feel pain or about ignoring the hurtful behaviour of others (which many times needs to be addressed). This scripture is encouraging us to guard our heart with the word of God (read the surrounding verses that talk about paying attention to the writer's words).

You see, when the word of God guards out heart, it will act as a filter for what goes in and what goes out. When hurt or disappointment comes to our heart, the word of God gives us God's perspective, grace and healing. When praise and success come our way, the word of God guards against pride and self-sufficiency. When lies are spoken into our ears and want to filter their way into our hearts, the word of God guards against their impact, holding up the shield of truth to deflect the darts of the enemy. So how do we guard our heart? Fill it up with the word of God! Saturate your heart in the Scriptures. Meditate and memorise God's truth.

I had fun creating a background with gelatos on this page, stamping and using alphabet stickers over the top to create the verse. I drew the red heart first, adding layers of colour around it in rainbow order, then blended the colours with clear gesso and my finger (messy but fun!). When this was dry I went back over the top with some more colour, blending it with my finger again over the background to intensify the colours.  I used the new Stamp of the Month, Filigree Hearts, as well as Happy Alpha and All Your Heart on this page.

Let's guard our hearts with the word of God and allow his truth to shield every part of our lives!

x Amy x