Scripture Series: I Am the Vine Card---Join the Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wedenesday!

Hello Crafty pals...Welcome to another post for our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge that started yesterday at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  This week, we are featuring an awesome Scripture Word Art, downloadable for free at the WAW site.  It comes from John 15:5 and it says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." No one truly understands the depth of the revelation that pertains to this powerful verse until one comes to the end of himself and begin a New Life (Born-again, John 3:3) in Christ.  In my past life, I thought I had total control of my destiny.  I bought into the idea that I could be whoever I wanted to be and I could do everything I wanted if I gave it all I had.  Yet it took several disappointing events in my life for me to realize that though I believed I had a bit of control over myself, I didn't have any control over other people's lives/choices.  And they were the ones whom I looked up to and were integral part of my support system.  I quickly learned that no matter how I tried, I couldn't fix everything that was broken in myself nor the people that surrounded me.  Those challenges led me to a great deal of frustration and depression.  All that brokenness wanted me to give-up on life at some point.  But in the  midst of the hopeless and meaningless life I would like to leave behind, God's light broke through!  He took me on a journey (one day at a time) and prepared my heart  to hear the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection) of Jesus Christ using a late night TV program.  I realized that the Holy Spirit had been cultivating the soil of my heart  and made me  ready to receive the seed of God's Word on that perfect evening of encounter with Him.  When I opened my heart and declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I received peace that was beyond my understanding---IT WAS SO AMAZING!  After 2 decades, I still don't have the exact words to describe fully the wonders of how a New Birth in Christ felt like.  I can say all sorts of wonderful things but will still fall short of describing this supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the redeemed...Everyday, I am reminded of the love, grace and power shown by God to me on that faithful night...

I am grateful to tell  you that to this very day, I have been held by the Vine---Jesus Christ!  Everything I need in this life flows through Him.  Without Him, my leaves would dry up and fall into the ground.  But in Him, I would continue to flourish and bear much fruit from season to season.  Jesus is my Living Water---I would never thirst again!  Isaiah 58:11 tells us, "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."  He is also the Light that supplies me with the necessary energy to grow, reproduce and sustain life. 2 Samuel 23:3-4 says, "The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’"  I am forever grateful that God called me to be among the bearers of His wonderful Truth.  I am undeserving of such love and grace.  Yet He saw the work that Jesus accomplished in me and declared me righteous in His sight. And all I needed to do is to receive everything in faith!  Words will never be able to describe the depth, width and the height of God's love for us.  Glory be to the Most High God...

In addition, I would like to share what I read from my Application Bible regarding our Scripture Word Art for this week as it truly blessed me.  It says, "Many people  try to be good, honest people who do what is right. But Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to him, like a branch attached to the vine.  When a vine bears much fruit, God is glorified, for daily He sent the sunshine and rain to make the crops grow, and constantly, He nurtured each tiny plant and prepared it to blossom. What a moment of glory for the Lord of the harvest when the harvest is brought into the barns, mature and ready for use!  He made it all happen.  This farming analogy shows how God is glorified when people come into a right relationship with Him and begin to bear much fruit in their lives.  Apart from Christ our efforts are unfruitful."  If you have personal relationship with the Lord, no matter what happens everyday, we know that we are under His protection.  Fear could no longer hold us knowing we are bound for eternal life in the presence of Christ. We understand that we are living temporarily in this world and the time will come when we forever dwell in a glorious place God prepared for us.  If you don't know Jesus in a personal way, I pray you get to know Him NOW!  This is the single, most important decision you will have to face in this life.  You may think you are in control but you'll never know when death knocks on your door.  If you don't know Him by then, your destination is to suffer God's eternal wrath.  That is the Truth of God's Word!  Lastly, I want to leave you with these compelling verse to ponder on in John 3:16 and it says, "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." 

For this Card, I used an image from Stamping Bella called "Uptown Girl Pippa Loves to Plant" which I colored using Tim Holtz Distress Inks, water and a water brush.  Of course, I stamped the image using Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black) on a watercolor paper.  I am loving this coloring technique for the meantime as it's so forgiving.  You don't have to be as precise like most coloring methods.  The base is from Core'dinations, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches-square card.  A couple of corners were rounded using my Corner Chomper.  I want to highlight the awesome verse from our Scripture Word Art this week that I went with a CAS card style.  To finish it all up, I ran it through my sewing machine and walah, all done!

I AM THE VINE CARD:

 I AM THE VINE CARD LAYERS:

 I AM THE VINE CARD INSIDE:

I AM THE VINE CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Art Impressions---Use Water-based Inks
Crafting for All Seasons---All Dressed Up/Girly
Crafty Creations---Colorful
Crafty Gals---ATG
Creative Moments---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Simon Says---ATG
Wonderful Wednesday---ATG
4 Crafty Chicks---ATG
As You Like It---Bright or Pastels?  (I can create with Pastels but I always go for Brights)
Crafty Girls---ATG
Digital Delights---ATG
DL Art---ATG
MAWTT---Leaves and/or Trees
Shopping our Stash---Go Paperless
Sweet Stamps---ATG
TTCRD---ATG

Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter upto 5 projects.  Our amazing sponsors for this week are Sweet-n-Sassy Stamps ($10 GC to their shop) and Top Dog Dies (Die Cut worth $16).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the joy of the Lord overtake you today as you share Him to others.  He truly loves and cares for you.