Fun/Humor Series: Being This Fabulous Summer Card---Join Our July Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello everyone...I'm here to feature my card for our 613 Avenue Create Anything Goes, July Challenge that started several days ago.  While the other DT's took on the Optional Twist which is "Watercolor, " I settled with Anything Goes.  I've had this fun stamp for quite sometime but it's only now that I'm able to use it. I hope you join us and have some fun crafting and creating. I also trust that you are enjoying your summer with your family and friends, perhaps some swimming like the image featured in my card.  However, I want to share God's Word with you which is always a source of wisdom and knowledge needed at this time.  Hope this blesses you.

Isaiah 12:2  says, "Surely God is my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation."  My Life Application Bible shared this explanation about Isaiah 12 which says, "This chapter is a hymn of praise---another graphic description of the people's joy when Jesus Christ comes to reign over the earth.  Even now we need to express our gratitude to God---thanking Him, praising Him, and telling others about Him.  From the depths of our gratitude, we must praise Him. And we should share the Good News (Gospel) with others." The time will come when a remnant of God's chosen nation will acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ and will experience true peace and security promised by God as He comes to rule and reign on this earth,  Presently, it is sad that many of the Israelites are lost in their own religion and remained blind to the salvation found only in Jesus Christ.  

Yet in their spiritual blindness, God opened the doors of salvation to all the people of this world.  We were the uninvited guest (Gentiles) in the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14.  Because those that were originally invited (Jews) refused to come to honor the King's Son (Jesus Christ) and have mistreated and even killed many of the King's servants (prophets) who brought the joyous invitation to them. So the  King was enraged and sent an army to avenge their death (God's wrath).  He then asked His other servants to invite anyone they can find (both good and bad) from outside the wedding hall (God's kingdom)  and the banquet was filled with guests.  And these people were provided with beautiful wedding garments that reflects the occasion.  And yet, the King noticed somebody who refused to wear the  garment provided to the guests. That in spite of the generosity of the King and His Son, this person chose to cling to his old ways.  Therefore, He was thrown outside of the banquet---where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Gotquestions.org shared a great explanation to this Parable of the Wedding Feast.  It says, "This was Jesus' way of teaching the inadequacy of self-righteousness.  From the very beginning, God has provided a "covering" for our sin.  To insist on covering ourselves is to be clad in "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame, but they found their fig leaves to be woefully scant.  God took away their handmade clothes and replaced them with skins of (sacrificed) animals (Genesis 3:7, 21).  In the book of Revelation, we see those in heaven wearing "white robes" (Revelation 7:9) and we learn that the whiteness of the robes is due to their being washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). We trust in God's righteousness, not our own (Philippians 3:9).  Just as King provided wedding garments for His guests, God provides salvation for mankind.  Our wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, and unless we have it, we will miss the wedding feast. When the religions of the world are stripped down to their basic tenets, we either find man working his way toward God, or we find the cross of Christ.  The Cross is the only way to salvation (John 14:6)."

It is therefore through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we, Born-again believers (John 3:3) can rejoice exceedingly in the grace that was extended to us by our great Father in heaven..  On our own, we cannot do anything to change the Sin Nature that kept us in bondage from the day we were born in this world.  We were hopeless!  But Jesus paid the debt that humanity owed since Adam and Eve fell into Sin,  He paid it with His own blood.  It is the ONLY valid payment.  He died, was buried and resurrected back to life so that He can invite all of us to His wedding feast dressed up in the wedding garments of righteousness He provided for us.  God did all the work---our part is to come!  One day, we will sing of all the marvelous things Jesus has done along with the great multitude of people from all walks of life who trusted in the Word of the King and the redemptive work of His One and Only Son.  Whatever situation we are in right now, always remember that things are already settled in heaven and victory is already given to us who believed.  If you know exactly what that means, fear will not rule your heart.  

For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions from their "Girlfriends Collection" and colored it with my Prismacolor markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from American Crafts and Paper Studio, the washi tapes are from Tape Works and Recollections and the layered flowers are from Prima.  I also added a brad from Recollections and some glitters from Stickles (Crystal).  Lastly, I did some regular and fancy stitching all over this card. 

 

 BEING THIS FABULOUS SUMMER CARD

 BEING THIS FABULOUS SUMMER CARD LAYERS

BEING THIS FABULOUS SUMMER CARD INSIDE

 

 BEING THIS FABULOUS SUMMER CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

 

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft---ATG

Classic Design---ATG

Clever Dexter---Hello Summer

Craft Galore Encore---ATG

Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper

Do-A1 Kreatives---Summer

LeAnns World---ATG

Let's Craft and Create---ATG

Love to Craft---ATG

Love to Scrap---ATG

Mix It Up---ATG/Aperture

Morgan's Artworld---ATG

Sognando---ATG

Sweet Stampers---Summer Fun

Crafting Challenge---Summertime

YSP---ATG

This is it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge.  If you want to be challenged, take on the Optional Twist.  But there's really no reason for you to miss it. Can't wait to see what you create. Think about your relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you don't have a personal relationship with Him, today is the day.  He will not turn anyone who calls on His name.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...