Praise God!

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. Judges 5:3

Hi Friends!

In this portion of Judges, we find Deborah and Barak singing a song of praise to God. It was a song of victory after God brought defeat to Canaanite adversaries. 

The Bible uses different words for praise. One Hebrew word is "yadah" which means "praise, give thanks, confess." Another Hebrew word is "zamar" meaning "sing praise." This is the word used in Judges 5:3. A third word is "halal" meaning "to praise, honor, commend." It is the root of hallelujah.

The bible commands all living creatures to praise God (Ps 150:6.) God deserves all honor and praise because of who He is. Praising God is what we should do. And when we praise Him, joy follows. How can we praise Him without being joyful? We really can't. So in those hard, difficult times, think about and focus on God, on who He is, His attributes. Praise Him for who He is and joy will follow.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Wonder of Wonders, Faith Wordfetti Too, All in All, and Let's Do This. Don't you love the image of the people with their arms raised? I do! I stamped the images and colored them in with Prismacolor pencils. My pages tend to be simple. It's not about the art. It's about God. It's about His Word.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

What is truth?

 Hi friends,

It seems that in the world right now, there are many different competing claims to truth. One expert confidently says one thing, while another contradicts them. One politician claims to be speaking the truth, but those on the opposing side disagree. Even in the church there are competing claims to truth. Some interpret the Bible one way, while others vehemently disagree with that interpretation. It can feel overwhelming sometimes, and one response is just to make truth relative: everyone has their own version of truth and as long as we all remember that, then we'll be fine. But is that the right response?

If we think this problem is just a modern-day one, then we are mistaken. All throughout history there have been competing claims to truth, and alongside those claims there has also been scepticism and cynicism that truth can actually be found. In John 18, we find the trial of Jesus before Pilate, and when Jesus claims to testify to the truth, Pilate asks "What is truth?" Pilate was a seasoned political operative and had seen his share of claims to truth in order to win power. This question that he asks Jesus sounds like one of cynicism rather than genuine seeking, almost as if he had given up trying to find the truth. But the irony was that Truth was standing in front of him, on trial for a crime he didn't commit. 

The reality is that the only truth we can know with certainty is that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and his death on the cross and resurrection enables us to live and walk in the truth. The messages we hear all around us that claim to be truth end up changing like the leaves on the trees when autumn comes, but the cross of Christ stands firm as a witness to truth. When we are seeking to discern truth, we need to continually return to Jesus Christ - his life, death, and resurrection - and ask how Jesus has revealed the truth to us through his Word. Only in Jesus can we know the truth that will set us free from the cynicism and deception of the world around us. 

I wanted to create a messy background on this page with lots of competing elements, so I stamped some images from Grunge Elements 3 over a painted acrylic background, then stencilled the leaves using the Fall Leaves Stencil and different shades of Nuvo Mousse. The lettering was created using the new Letter Tiles Alpha and Love ya Like a Sister Alpha, and I added the little pointing hand from Keep in Touch. The final addition was the cross image from Endless Love, placing a butterfly sticker over the top.

Let's keep our eyes, our hearts, and our minds fixed on the truth found in Jesus Christ.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Like That City

 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

Hi Friends!

We take light for granted. We take for granted that the sun will come up in the morning. We take for granted that when we flip a switch in our homes, light will come on. Do we also take for granted that Christ's light is shining somewhere by someone in this world? Here's the thing, we can't leave it up to someone else. WE are to be that light. Christ told us so in Matthew 5:14. It's our duty as Christ followers to shine the light He's given us. We can't take it for granted. We have to work to shine in this dark world. The great thing about light is that darkness can't compete with it. Darkness can't overcome light. Whenever, wherever, light is found, darkness disappears. So, church, we have a lot of work to do. And we need to start in our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities and our communities. But the best news, y'all, is we don't have to do it alone- we do it by the power of the Holy Spirit, God Himself. When we shine Christ's light, we glorify Him (Matt 5:16). And that's our purpose here on earth.

I like the song by Third Day, "City on a Hill." Here are some of the lyrics:

A city on a hill cannot be hidden

Standing tall before all men

To show the things that it's been given

And everything that it can give

Just like that city on a hillside

We got a light that's deep within us

No, don't keep it to yourself

Just remember how you felt

When you first gave your life to Jesus

So how do we shine Jesus' light? We study God's Word and share it with others. We love and serve others. We point others to Jesus. Shine, friends, shine!

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Wonder of Wonders, Shine Your Light, and Trust in the Lord. I also used the Rise & Shine Stencil. Wonder of Wonders has some great images, one of them being the city I used on the page. I stamped the city and drew the hill with a Micron pen. I colored the hill and sky with chalk pastels. I colored the city with Prismacolor pencils. Then I stamped the words in the sky and handlettered part of the lyrics on the hill.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Be at Rest Again...

Hi friends,

I don't know about you, but I find it all too easy for my soul to not be in a place of rest. Whether that be because of busyness or anxieties or troubling circumstances, it is easy for my soul to be on edge, fraught with a million thoughts and cares. But much like physical rest needs to be intentional for it to be good rest (we have to decide to go to sleep at a particular time, to have a Sabbath, or a holiday), the same is true for our souls.

One of the ways we can intentionally return our souls to a state of rest is to meditate on God's goodness. Psalm 116:7 in the New Living Translation says 'Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.' The NRSV captures the psalmist telling his soul: 'Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.' When we meditate on the goodness of God that we have experienced in the past, we are able to tell our souls to rest, because we know that whatever we are facing, God is still good and he will be good to us as his children. 

Whatever we are facing, whether it be external troubles or internal turmoil, we can rest in the goodness of God. Just like when we are physically tired and need to take ourselves to bed, when our souls are worn out we need to take ourselves to the goodness of God and rest there, knowing that God is good and that his love for us endures forever. 

I created the background on this page using gelatos, then stamped the Floral Background image on the top and coloured with coloured pencils and paint pens. The adorable image at the bottom is from the new Wonder of Wonders set, stamped and coloured with coloured pencils. The verse was stamped using a combination of sets: The Lord's Battle, With Love Alpha, and Teeny Alpha. 

Let's be people to intentionally return to resting in the goodness of God.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

A Pattern of Grace and Mercy

"I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1: 12-17

If you were to ask me which books of the Bible are my favorite, I would definitely say 1 and 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy, a young minister, are packed full of so much wisdom and encouragement. If you consider that they are Paul's last written letters to the church, it makes them even more powerful. 💙

Paul was one of the biggest persecutors of the early Christian church until his miraculous conversion on the Damascus road. He holds none of his history back when he calls himself the foremost, or chief, of sinners. In fact, he uses his testimony to establish the saving and changing power of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. 

I particularly love what he says in this verse:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NLT)

Another translation says this:

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NKJV)

Paul doesn't hide from his past. He wants his past to show an example, a pattern, of the grace and mercy shown to all sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul doesn't just stop there! He lives the rest of his life in the service of Christ so that his entire life may show a pattern of the grace and mercy of Jesus. 

If you have a history that isn't so pretty, read this passage in 1 Timothy and know that there nothing you've done that is not redeemable under the blood of Jesus. Accept his grace and mercy and then continue to live in His grace and mercy that your life may show as a pattern and an example for others. 

Page Details

I used watered-down acrylic paint for the background of this page, then stamped the edges with Versamagic chalk ink to create a pattern of plaid and flowers along the edges. Then I splattered the page with some white paint and set aside to dry. I stamped the cross and flowers on vellum and colored with colored pencils, then used double sided tape to adhere to the page. I then stamped my title and colored in with Uniball white signo gel pen (my favorite brand of white gel pen!). 

  

  

I pray we all live in the grace and mercy offered to us by the love of Jesus this week. 

In Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

He is the I Am

"God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.' God also said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations."

Exodus 3:14-15

I read an article a few weeks ago from Phylicia Masonheimer entitled "The Millennial Gospel: Jesus Tell Me More About Me" and it convicted me to my core. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read it. 

In today's culture, we often look to the Bible and to Jesus to tell us more about us. We interact socially with other Christians we can relate to. Our "story" gets us likes, comments, and shares. We want to be real. We want to show others our struggle. We want to connect with other Christians who get us. And none of that is necessarily bad, but as Phy says,

"(The) millennial gospel spends more time talking about our weakness, our struggle, and our habits than it does about preeminence of God’s character. We know a lot about being relevant; we know a lot about discipleship and church planting and being “real” with one another. But that’s the problem. Our new, Christian “reality” revolves around… us. Jesus is there in name; yes, He’s part of our lives. But the “I Am” of our conversations is more often “I am learning…” and “I am struggling…” than an active acknowledgement of I AM THAT I AM.

It made me stop and think. Is my gospel more about me than it is about the I AM? Am I living with a focus on what I'm going through rather than living with a focus on the I AM? The bottom line is this:

We don’t need Jesus to tell us more about us. We need Jesus. Period.

My story is only effective so long as it points to the I AM. My worship is only holy as long as I am worshipping the I AM. The Lord of Lords. The King of Kings. The Holy God. I don't need Him to tell me more about me, I need to learn more about Him. 🙌

The article convicted and challenged my heart. I want my life to continually point to my God as the I Am. Don't you?

Page Details

This page actually came together over several days. I stamped the Encouraging Peonies on vellum and colored them with colored pencils. I used gelatos as the page background. Gelatos are not a medium I'm very comfortable with, so I am trying to get better! I gessoed the page with two layers of gesso, then rubbed the gelatos over the page using a baby wipe. I splattered the page with some watered down white acrylic paint. I used the Psalm 23 background stamp set to add a little depth and dimension to the background. I then fussy cut the flowers and used a clear tape runner to adhere them to the page. I used the He Is and I Am stamp sets for the page title, and last but not least, I journaled my prayer on a piece of scrap vellum. 

Here are the stamp sets used:

 

 

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

The Purpose of Christmas

She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Hello friends!

Many of us send and receive Christmas cards each year with sweet images of our Baby Savior and His earthly parents, and/or the shepherds and wise men seeking Him. They come with encouraging Bible verses and sentiments and make as feel all warm inside. But what if you received a Christmas card that spoke of the real purpose of Christmas? What if you opened the envelope and pulled out a card that said, "Born to Die." How would you feel then? That would kinda zap my Christmas spirit!

Most likely, we're not going to be seeing any Christmas cards with those sentiments on them any time soon, but the fact is Christ's purpose in being born was the cross. Why was Jesus born? Because every one of us are sinners.

I came across an online article by C.J. Mahaney entitled, "Disturbing Christmas: The Manger and the Cross." Mr. Mahaney quoted an article by William H. Smith from 1992, part of which I want to share:

"That Baby was born so that 'He who had no sin' would become 'sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.' The Baby's destiny from the moment of His conception was hell- hell in the place of sinners. When I look into the manger, I come away shaken as I realize again that He was born to pay the unbearable penalty for my sins. That's the message of Christmas: God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, man's sin has alienated him from God, and man's reconciliation with God is possible only through faith in Christ...Christmas is disturbing."

Does that mean we shouldn't celebrate Christmas and be joyful about it? Of course not! Christmas is about God's great love for us. And we should certainly celebrate that love. But it should include reflection and acknowledgement of what Christ did for us, and an acknowledgement of His role as Judge to those who don't accept Him as Savior. 

He left Heaven. He left His rightful glory. He became His creation. He endured physical and emotional abuse of the most horrid kind. He suffered an awful death. He was separated from the Father for our sakes. And He did it all willingly. Think about that.

As Smith said in the conclusion of his article, "Only those who have been profoundly disturbed to the point of deep repentance are able to receive the tidings of comfort, peace, and joy that Christmas proclaims."

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Endless Love, Curly Girl Alpha, and Adore Him. I stamped the baby and cross images, using watercolor crayons to then color them. After painting, I stamped the words and flowers.

Have a blessed week, my friends! Andrea