Scripture Series: Help is in the Name of the Lord Center Step Card---Hurry for Another Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello there, Crafting peeps!  It is a joy to be back after a week of no post.  When I am not here (or making projects to feature here), I actually try to do all the other stuff that seems to get forgotten at home---like laundry, tidy things up and eliminating clutter, some cooking, attending to my hubby and son, attending Church and rehearsals with the worship team, family days and getting together with friends and families every now and then.  And I am still way behind...LOL Anyway, tonight, while I was browsing online, I came across a video of Ravi Zacharias (one of the greatest Apologist of our time), and he talked about the many belief systems that people of this days are dangerously flirting with which consist mostly of catering to how people think and feel than the absolute Truth of God's Word.  I wrote some of the things he said and here's what they are (some were paraphrased):

"Truth is what makes relevant, relevant!  Without the Truth, relevance is irrelevant.  You cannot strip anything from the Truth." (Read John 4:24 and John 14:6)

About the origin of the distortion of Truth, he said, "It started at the Garden of Eden when the enemy of our soul (Satan/Lucifer) inserted doubt in the propositional revelation of God." (Read Genesis 3:1-15)

"God's Word is what's eternally true.  I have to alter my thinking to conform to God's Truth, not the other way around." (Read Romans 12:2)

This is speaking of what has become of our society today.   Even though God's Word clearly says what is right and abomination to His sight, people kept on doing what they wanted to do, driven by their own lust and rebellion which came from it's very source---Satan, and the sin nature he afflicted us with when Man fell from his status of righteousness in the presence of God.  So what is Truth and is there an Absolute Truth?  Common sense would tell us that the Truth is defined by the Creator and not the created.  When we create something, we come up with the concept, gather the tools needed and shape and form our materials to our motivation---based on present and future use which determines its function and purpose.  So, if you ask  "What is Truth?" to someone like me who upholds the Word of God based on Genesis 1 and 2, I would say,  "Truth is reality in God's perspective."  This means that I come under the authority of the written revelation of God as stated in 2 Timothy 2:16-17 which says,  "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  Because of this written revelation (Word of God), I was led to God's personal revelation of Himself---Jesus Christ.  We all grew up with messed up thinking, mostly from parents who adhered with religion instead of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  If we look all around us and investigate the claims of God through His creation by the the written Word of God, our conscience (moral compass) would tell us of His sovereignty.  Literally, it takes tremendous amount of faith to believe and prove there is no God and that things happen in random when all we see is order and intelligent design from our Creator.  Ultimately, rebellion (sin) will meet it's punishment at it's due time because it utterly supported the distortion of Truth and exchanging it for a lie.  Romans 1:18-21 clearly says,  "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."  Many people handpicked what they want to believe about God's Word---that which gives them warm fuzzies and emotional high.  Yet, the Word of God that alienates them because it does not support their lifestyle (adultery, fornication, lies and media lies, murder and abortion, all forms of addiction, homosexuality, selfishness, greed and many others) were not only disregarded but trampled on.  They not only hate God's Truth but hated everyone who reminds them of the Truth.  So, my question is, where are you going to be?  Personally, my answer is simple, like what Ravi Zacharias said, "I will conform my thinking to God's Truth, not the other way around." 

Anyway, here's a card inspiration for you for our Word Art Wednesday (WAW) Challenge.  Our free Word Art (you can download from free at WAW Blog) comes from  Psalm 124:8 which says,  "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  This verse gives me huge confidence in my walk here on earth.  The One who created everything in all wisdom, understanding, radiance and beauty is able to take care of every creation He has made, and assures me that nothing  happens to me without His knowledge.  Yes, we encounter tragedies in life (believe me, I have my share of those times) but we are not alone in our battles.  Acknowledge that through the finished work of Jesus Christ, the  Holy Spirit lives with us and is literally inside of us to help us in all situations---be it in joy or in pain.  When we made Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we are never alone---He is always there---in my prayers of matters of life and death and in my simplest need (like looking for my car keys...LOL) Okay, to highlight my verse, I used an image from Make it Crafty called "Whimsical Log" which I colored with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir markers.  The base card started with a 5.5 x 11 inches of Kraft card base and folded into a center step card.  All the DP's are from DCWV matted with CS with similar colors, punch a border from MS Punch, stamped the swirls from Inkadinkado and added some white gems from Imaginisce.  I added some glitters on the image (Stickles-Diamond) and stitched all over this card.  Hope you enjoy this.

 HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD:

 HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD SIDE VIEW:

 HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD LAYERS:

 HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD INSIDE:

HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

By Lori Designs---Designer Papers
Crafting By Designs---ATG
Crafts and Me---ATG
Fab 'n' Funky---Make a Set
Inklings and Yarns---ATG
Lady Anne's Challenges---ATG
Paper Shelter---ATG
Penny's Paper-Crafty---Stitching
Ruby's Rainbow---Layers
Simon Says Stamp---ATG
Scrap-Creations---ATG
Inky Chicks---Summer Colors
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
Songbird---Favorite Things (I love glitters and gems)
TTCRD---ATG
Amusing Challenges---ATG
As You Like It---Favorite Fancy Fold and Why?  (I am loving the Center Step Card for you can be as dynamic as possible considering there's already an element of 3D even before you decorate it.)
Card Mania---Summer Blooms
Challenges 4 Everybody---ATG
Color Me Creative---ATG
Creative Inspirations---ATG
Eclectic Ellapu---ATG
Eureka Stamps---ATG
Inspire Me Fridays---ATG
Lacy Sunshine---ATG (With hand-colored image)
OSAAT---ATG
Paper Crafting Journey---Punches and/or Die-Cuts
Paper Playtime---Pattern Paper
Pattie's Creations---Recipe (I used Gems, Glitter and Sentiment)
Pile It On---ATG
Corrosive Challenge---Fancy Folds

That's about it, folks!  Don't forget to join our Challenge at WAW and win some wonderful prizes from two sponsors for this week---Milk Coffee Stamps and Close to my Heart.  You can enter a project utilizing the free Word Art for this week but not a requirement.  As long as you submit family-friendly, inspirational or uplifting projects, you can enter up to 5 creations.  I'm so excited to see what you come up with.  Whatever you are going through in life today, call on the name of Jesus for He truly cares for you.  

Scripture Series: Thy God is a Faithful God Center Step Card---Time for Another Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello, Crafting friends! So much on my plate yesterday so, this is coming earlier today instead.  Well, what do I want to share with you in this post?  Hmmm...I always allow the Lord to reveal to me (as I type the words in the keyboard) what He wants me to say.  So, how about a testimony?  You see a few days ago, I was creating a post for another card and I was almost at the end when all of a sudden, my computer was typing small "letter b's" on it's own when I clearly type one b.  It was doing it all by itself and I tried to erase this hundred's of b's and it typed it back again.  At that point, my mind was going many directions but mostly fearing that I would lose the post I have spent hours working on. Amidst my panic, suddenly, the Word of God came upon me in these couple of verses:

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."(Luke 10:19)

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Many times we use these verses in our prayers as we ask God for protection from physical harm, diseases etc. but I was reminded that the Lord has given us authority to come against the works of the enemy even to as simple as posting a Blog.  Clearly, this and similar things happened to me, more often, when I was imparting God's Word and declaring His works for people to see the hope we (believers) have in Christ. How by a simple decision to act in faith, people of the world may also come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Though  we may not see things that are physically attacking/harming us, yet, the Lord has given us spiritual eyes and discernment to see spiritual wickedness in high places.  I know that the devil hates it when we proclaim about God and he can devise many plans just to keep us from being able to convey the message of the Gospel.  So, what did I do?  As the Spirit of God led me, I laid my hands in front of my computer  and rebuked the demonic spirit that seeks to hinder me from being able to share the Word of God.  I cannot do it with my own ability but I know the One who lives inside of me is greater than he whose in the world (1 John 4:4). He has my back and the power to destroy any works of the enemy (from simple, complicated and impossible situations).  In the name of Jesus (I said!), devil, take your hands of my work!  Immediately after, the error stopped and I was able to delete the unnecessary "b's" and finished every single thing I had to do that night without any problems.  My God is awesome!  Some of you may think that it could be virus or any other technical stuff but I know one thing, whatever it was, it had to flee in the name of Jesus!   I am not foreign to seeing things in the spirit realm for since I became a believer of Jesus Christ, God has given me insights, in many occasions, on what's going behind the physical realm.  This, He does so that I can specifically pray for a need.  The reason why some people who profess they believe yet could not discern the evil that is hiding in many issues we face is because they just simply don't spend time reading God's word, to pray and listen to God in prayer and to ask God for a discerning spirit.  When you ask the Holy Spirit for a gift, will he give you rocks?  The Word of God clearly says in Matthew 7:7-9, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"  Truly, those who entrusted their lives to Jesus Christ may be living in this world but we are citizens of God's Kingdom.  Through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross and His resurrection, we are partakers of His victory over sin and death.  What was taken by the devil from man (including dominion,  and the righteousness God has clothed man before the Fall) are now ours again through Jesus, our Lord!  Our victorious King lives inside every believer and is in my heart---the very reason I can command the devil to flee---and with trembling, he fled.  I encourage every child of God to know the promises of God through His written Word (The Bible) for you can lay claim on every promise written there.  2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us,  "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."  It's a wonderful day to be saved.  If you have not received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, all it takes is "faith"  (trust).  Come to Him, as you are!  Allow Him to do the work in your life. You may have been trying to get rid of the poison in your life and have no success because truly, we are powerless to change ourselves.  We need to be changed at our core and be "Born-Again" (John 3:3) from the nature of sin to a new creature in Jesus Christ.  Stop carrying your own burdens, instead, give it all to Christ who love you so much, He died so you can be set free.  If you are tired of running your own life, turn to Jesus by saying this prayer...Lord Jesus, I come to you today because I am lost and needs the light of your salvation.  I acknowledge I am a sinner, in need of a Savior.  I am tired of living my life my own terms and would like for you to come into my life and become my personal Lord and Savior.  Teach me your ways and lead me to a safe path.  From now on, I will live only for you.  Thank you that you heard my prayer and accepted me in your Kingdom, in Jesus' Name, Amen!

If you have prayed that prayer, "Welcome to the Body of Christ."  Get a hold of a Bible and look for a Church that teaches the Gospel in it's entirety (in your area) that will help you discover who you really are in Christ.  I would like to help you in your journey as well so, if you have any questions, you can send me a message through this Blog or email, and will help you find the answers through God's Word.  I serve an amazing, wonderful and holy God so, the more I learn about Him as I spend time in His Word, the more I love Him.  I am a product of His transformation and have experienced His unconditional love and no one can take that experience away from me.

So, here's a card I want to share with you all today for the Word Art Wednesday's (WAW) Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge.  The Word Art is free to download at WAW Blog and highlights the scripture in Deuteronomy 7:9 which says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."  When we make a decision to follow God, we are not only shining His light to us as an individual but we are allowing the light of salvation to our families, from generation to generation.  We may have lost hope on a wayward son/daughter but as we continue to pray and trust in Him, He is more than faithful to fulfill what He said.  Numbers 23:19a states, "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind."  I used a very cute image from Sassy Cheryl's Digi called "Polly's Pink Flower"(retired)---colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir markers and added some glitters (Stickles-Diamond).  The base card started with a white CS measuring 5.5 x 11 inches and folded into a Center Step Card.  The DP's are all from DCWV and was matted by similar colors of CS.  I die-cut and embossed a Lacey Oval and an oval from Nestabilities to lay the Word Art, punched a fence border from MS Border Punch and added some gems from Imaginisce,  regular button from Paper Studio, yellow ribbon from my stash and a fancy brad top from Heidi Grace.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card.  Came out amazing!  Let me know what you think.

 THY GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD CENTER STEP CARD:

 THY GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD CENTER STEP CARD SIDE VIEW:

 THY GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD CENTER STEP CARD LAYERS:

 THY GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD CENTER STEP CARD INSIDE:

THY GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD CENTER STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafts and Me---ATG
Crafty Creations---Summer
Divas by Design---ATG
Fab 'n' Funky---Make a Set
Paper Shelter---ATG
Penny's Paper Crafty---Bling
Rhedd and Rosie---ATG
Ruby's Rainbow---Layer It Up
Whimsical Designs---Pile It On
Bearly-Mine---ATG
Crafty Sentiments---Bling it On
Cuttlebug Mania---Shaped Card (I used Cuttlebug in die-cutting the Spellbinders Ovals)
Inky Chicks---Summer Colours
LEJ Designs---Cute Cute Cute
Papertake Weekly---Die-ing for a Punch
TTCRD---ATG
Top Tip Tuesday---Spooled Items
Twist of Faith---Borders and Fancy Edges
Paula Holifield Crafts---Die-ing for It!
Card and Scrap---Use Lace or Ribbon
Country View Crafts---Summer Sizzler
Creative Inspirations Paint---Ribbon and Bling
Ladybug Crafts---Favorite Embellishment (Love those white gems)
Crafter's Cafe---ATG
Crafting Cafe---Summer's Here
Make It Monday---ATG
Dutch Dare Cards---In Stitches

Thanks for visiting my Blog today.  Hope you will pop-by WAW and join our Inspirational Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your projects to link although it's not mandatory.  You are allowed to up to 5 projects as long as they are family friendly, uplifting and/or inspirational.  We have 2 sponsors this week (Your Next Stamp and Shabby Cottage) which means double the chance to win.  I can't wait to see the projects you'll come up with this week.  Praying for a wonderful rest of the week and for a greater understanding of the love and faithfulness of God, through Jesus Christ, in our daily lives.

A Day to Remember Card---Join Us at our Neighborhood, 613 Avenue Create, for Anything Goes Challenge!

Hello there, Crafty Peeps...This is coming out pretty late but was so tired this weekend that I forgot to post this at it's earliest time.  Anyway, we had a lovely time worshiping Almighty God with the brethren on Sunday and the Holy Spirit showed up mightily capturing the hearts of His people.  We live in these days when the Truth is being perverted and people are living without shame.  What used to be done in secret is not only flaunted but is encouraged in every shape and form.  I stopped watching a lot of the TV programs/movies for I could not find any family friendly shows.  Aside from a very few Christian movies and programs, no show is free from indecency, sexual innuendos and loads of cursing.  If you haven't noticed, people are being brainwashed by using media and Hollywood to curve us to the kind of society, influential people of this country and the world, wants us to be.  They need us to depart from the moral values which made this country great and to settle with compromising, God detested values in the name of tolerance.  When did we start to think that taking innocent life, like aborting babies when there's clearly an option for adoption, as an acceptable act in the eyes of the Lord?  For what cause---women's rights?  Are we talking about women's rights to do whatever she likes---giving herself away to every man she sees and when her actions catches up with her, that she is allowed to claim no responsibility in the expense of killing her own child/children?  Under the disguise of women's rights, that is really what they are protecting.  Deeper than that is a satanic agenda to get rid of a generation which killed more than 50 milliion babies since Roe vs, Wade was adopted in this country.  John 10:10 says, "The thief (satan) comes to steal, to kill and destroy." It is like sacrificing babies to Baal in the Old Testament scriptures.   Here's scriptural verses that warns us to  steer clear of such a practice:

They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded--nor did it enter my mind--that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. (Jeremiah 23:5)

"You shall not do so unto the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods."

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft." (Deuteronomy 18:10)

"Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 18:12)

"They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do." (2 Kings 17:15)

It is clear why those who promotes the death of these helpless babies, which by the way, begins at conception, would hate God's Word because nothing in the scriptures support the claim for women's rights in the expense of the unborn.  The bottom line is, we have bought into Idolatry---idolizing ourselves and loving ourselves so much that nothing else matters but our own "pleasure."  What is Idolatry?  We thought that this only applies to worship of graven images (bowing, offering sacrifices, putting your faith in), the adoration for something man created!  But in our day and time, this is so much more than that.   It's placing something/someone in our life more valuable than God Himself.  It can be one's love of self, family, relationships, wealth, career, power, fame, ideology, affiliation, religion etc.  Many people think that they are their own gods by making such bold declaration, "My Body, My Choice."  Let's examine their statement---How did it become their bodies?  Did they make their bodies?  Did they construct their DNA, physically placed every fiber of their physical organs and have control over their functions?  Can they prevent themselves from contracting any disease?  Can they control their own heartbeat?  Do they have control over accidents, catastrophes and stop death from overtaking them?  How about the air we breathe?  Don't we know that our existence is dependent upon the right mixture of gases in the atmosphere which only a powerful God can regulate?  If we want to know more about our limitations and frailties, we need to look at the Book of Job.  The Bible tells us in Romans 1:18-19, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation  of the world God's invisible qualities---His eternal  power and divine nature---have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."  If we truly look around us, even for just a brief moment, and examine our surroundings and deal with our hearts, we'd come to realize that all creation is hand stamped by God and how ridiculous it is to believe that things happened in random when all we see is a systematic flow of things.  There is a God who created all things and have total control of His every creation and He alone deserves the highest glory and praise from those He created.  If today, God has shown you how powerless you are and has made you realized you are not in control of your life, come to Him and surrender the lordship of your life to Jesus Christ for He's the One who made your freedom from bondage of sin possible by dying on the Cross.  There is nothing you have done, so horrible in your life that God cannot forgive.  Through the blood of Jesus , you can be washed as white as snow.  All it takes is "FAITH" to the One who delivered you.

Anyway, here's a card I want to share with you today for our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  Our optional theme is to make a matching envelope for your card which I always have, anyway.  I used an image from one of our sponsors this week which is "Xander with Valentine Flowers" from Beansie Doodles and colored it with my ProMarker and Prismacolor markers.  The base card is 5.5-inches square utilizing Kraft CS with several DP's  from Recollections and DCWV.   I've included a couple of brads from Recollections and gems from Tulip.  The house border is cut with my Cuttlebug using Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations (On the Edge) die and inked with Distress Inks (Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Mowed Lawn and Vintage Photo).  You may not see it in the pics but I also added a bit of glitter (Stickles-Diamond) to the flowers.  I stamped several sentiment---the "love" border is from Fiskars and the main sentiment is from Cloud 9.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card.  It's hard to make Boy cards since most of us likes to shower our creation with loads of embellishments but "simplicity" is the key with every male card.  Hope you like it:

 A DAY TO REMEMBER CARD:

 A DAY TO REMEMBER CARD LAYERS:

 A DAY TO REMEMBER CARD INSIDE:

A DAY TO REMEMBER CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
 

Addicted to Stamps---Lots of Layers
Great Impressions---ATG
Here Come the Boys---ATG (Masculine)
Lacy Sunshine---Must Use Hand-Colored Image
OSAAT---Use Your Favorite (Stitching)
Pile It On---Thinking of You/Just Because
Scrapbooking Queen---ATG/Use a Digi
Crafting by Designs---ATG
Brown Sugar---ATG
Creative Fingers---ATG
Sister Act---ATG
Inspire Me Fridays---ATG
4 Crafty Chicks---Let's Hear It for the Boys
Nutcrafters---One for the Boys
Sweet Stamps---ATG
Tuesday Throwdown---ATG
Southern Girls---No Spoolin'
TTCRD---ATG
Color Me Creative---ATG (Must Use Alcohol Markers)
HIMCR---Freestyle
One Stop Craft---Make Your Own Background
Crafts 4 Eternity---Inky Fingers
Quick Quotes---Dimension
Make it Monday---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG
Anything Goes---ATG

I hope you enjoy your week and don't forget to join us at 613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes Challenge!  You can enter up to 3 new projects (no back linking).  What are you waiting for?  Link with us now and get a chance to win a fabulous prize in a week's time.  Remember that Jesus is just a heartbeat away so, whatever your needs are or better yet, praises for Him are, call unto His Name and He will answer you.

Scripture Series: Joy Out of the Wells of Salvation Card---Come and Join Us for Another Uplifting Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello, y'all!  I know, another week passed and it seems like only a day for me...LOL Today, it's been another gloomy day out here where I live.  Really feeling lightheaded and lazy today.  Earlier, I have encountered a question with regards to what I posted in one of the marriage sites at Facebook which supports a Biblical stand for Marriage. Being a Born-Again believer of Jesus Christ, I uphold the teachings of the Bible to be the written revelations of God and have voice out my agreement with the Biblical definition of marriage.  A young man in whose name I'd rather not mention decided to reply on what I posted.  Here's what he said and I quote:

"You seem like a good Bible follower. I have some questions: Would you like to buy my sister at a decent price? She's pretty smart, she can do your housework (Exodus 21:7). Also, I've been meaning to ask, can I murder my mother? She's been working on the Sabbath and as we all know that's not good (Exodus 35:2). Just one more: Is it okay if I burn my Grandmother alive at her next birthday gathering? She's a very christian woman but she forgets to cover her head when she prays (1 Corinthians 11:5). Let me know when you can answer. " (Of course, I replied and pointed the scriptures to him).

If you don't study the Bible, these questions/illustrations/twisting of the Word of God, may intimidate you.  It points to 3 different issues in the Bible---Slavery, Sabbath and the Covering of a women's head in worship (respectively).  First of all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ first thus, a follower of the Bible, which is the written revelation of God to mankind.  His questions, although it sounds intelligent does not have a bearing on the topic of marriage but is geared towards attacking God and blaming Him for what he portrays as injustices done by man to one another. Honestly,  what came to my mind right after reading it was  the very same words Jesus told the devil when he tempted Jesus after 40 days/nights of praying and fasting.  In Matthew 4:1-11 in which verse 7 says, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that the questions were not really asking nor care for a sound, biblical answer but merely tried to persuade me and those who may come to see his comment that the very same God who promotes life could be mean enough to sentence a person to death by not observing the Sabbath and therefore, He is not a caring God and  must be blamed for all the issues man encountered in the past and the present.  The Bible declares that no man is declared righteous by fulfilling the law (Romans 3:20).  The Law of Moses (Torah) was given to man NOT TO SAVE ANYONE but to show man how Holy God is and to help us realize that without a Savior, we are hopeless!  The Law teaches us that God’s ways are so high that no man can ever come to Him by obeying the Law.  At man's fallen state (without the New Birth –John 3:3), human effort is futile and will never ever set us free from the bondage of the sin nature (nature of the Devil).   For the sake of those who may really want to know Biblical Truths on what was asked, here’s what the Lord has to say:

ABOUT SLAVERY---Slavery was not a making of God as it came as a by-product of the Fall of Man, when Adam disobeyed and plunged humanity into sin and took the side of Satan.  God allowed man to experience the consequences of his sins but He had a plan (fulfilled in Jesus Christ).  When his people cried for help from injustice (meaning they knew there’s no way they can get out but by God’s hand), He freed them from the Egyptian bondage which shows the true heart of God, He responds by faith.  (Exodus 3:7-10).  The same way we are saved today...When we cry out to Him and tell Him there's absolutely nothing we can do to save ourselves and ask Jesus into our lives, He sets us free from bondage (of sin and the devil) and guides us to the path of righteousness in Christ. 

ABOUT HONORING THE SABBATH---This legalistic point of view of the Sabbath was counter-acted by Jesus Christ, the Son of God when he said in Mark 2:27, "Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."  Jesus came to fulfill all the requirements of the Law (Torah) that whoever places their faith (trust) in what He accomplished in the Cross, has already fulfilled the Law because they identified with Jesus and all His victory by accepting His sacrifice for them.  It has nothing to do with any human effort, our good works or the lack thereof. 

ABOUT COVERING A WOMEN'S HEAD IN WORSHIP---1 Corinthians 11:3-16 addresses the issue of women and head coverings. The context of the entire passage is "submission" to the God-given order and "chain of command." A "covering" on a woman's head is used as an illustration of the order, headship, and the authority of God. The key verse of this passage is 1 Corinthians 11:3 which says, "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." The implications of this verse are found in the rest of the passage. The order is: God the Father, God the Son, the man or husband, and the woman or wife. The veil or covering on the head of a believing Corinthian wife showed that she was under the authority of her husband, and therefore under submission to God.  This verse should be taken in context as oppose to the external value of it. 

In conclusion, following the Law (Torah/of Moses) does not make you righteous.  The Law points you to the Only Source of salvation, Who is JESUS CHRIST and that by faith in Him, we become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD (Romans 3:22).  He lives inside the hearts of every believer in whose hearts, He has written His Law.  We are able to obey the Truth of God's Word not by our own efforts but by the leading of the Holy Spirit living inside of us.  So, I encourage everyone to study God's Word so as not to be misled by any wind of doctrine that tries to insert doubts in your hearts.  We stand on a Solid Rock, a Firm Foundation, a Cornerstone!  Know the basic foundation of your faith and progress from there.  I thank the Lord for every revelation He has imparted in my life.  The more I get to know Him, the deeper I fall in love with Him.  I barely scratched the surface of God's awesomeness and I know I will live to see His magnificence when I see Him face to face---pretty soon! 

Anyway,  I am also here to share with you the card I made for our Anything Goes  Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  I highlighted our free scripture Word Art (you can download free at the WAW Blog) which comes from Isaiah 12:3 which says, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."  This is one of the prophetic verses which talks about the reign of Christ on earth and how joy fills the heart of every believer who have been saved by simply trusting in Him. All our tears and persecutions and injustices done to us by the wicked one and his followers shall be remembered no more and we will forever be with the Lord throughout eternity."  This is why we share the Good News of Salvation to everyone that they may join us in that faithful day.  Do you have families/friends that are unsaved?  Continue praying for them and never give up.  While they are still alive, there's always a chance for salvation for those who will harden not their hearts.  I used an image from Sassy Cheryl's Digi Stamps and colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectum Noir markers.  The card measures about 6 x 6 inches square using white CS, and that's including the butterfly border which I die cut using Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die.  The DP's are scraps from Recollections and DCWV while all the different colored CS used for panels/matting are also from my scraps.  The die-cut shapes are cut using Nestabilities, flowers from Prima, brads from Recollections and gems from Imaginisce.  I added some glitters to the flowers using Stickles (Diamond), White Gelly Role Pen for the cheeks of the image and finally, stitched all over this card.  Love the result.

 JOY OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION CARD:

 JOY OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION CARD LAYERS:

 JOY OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION CARD INSIDE:

JOY OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

 2 Sisters---Make It Sparkle
Addicted to Stamps---Lots of Layers
Anything Goes---ATG
Card Mania---Pearls and/or Gems
Alota Rubber Stamps---Butterflies
Crafting For All Seasons---Bingo (Flowers/Digi/Pearls)
Die Cut Divas---Flowers/Die Cut Element
Country View Crafts---Summer Sizzlers
Craftin Desert Divas---Summer
Paper Makeup Stamps---Tic Tac Toe (Gems/Flowers/2 or more DP's)
D.L. ART---ATG
Eclectic Ellapu---Flowers
Faeries Challenges---Flowers/Summer
HIMCR---Super Scraps Saturday (almost all my DP's CS here are scraps)
Inspire Me Fridays---ATG
LEJ Designs---ATG
OSAAT---Use a Digi
My Craft Creations---ATG
Robyn's Fetish---Things with Wings
One Stop Craft---Summer Colors
Sister Act Card---ATG
Mark's Finest Papers---Favorite Technique (Layering/Stitching)
Sweet Stamps Blog---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Totally PaperCrafts---All of a Flutter
Tuesday Throwdown---ATG
Whoopsi Daisy---Use Your Markers
Totally Gorjuss---Sweet
Make it Monday---ATG
Sassy Cheryl's---Outdoor Fun and Games (With Sassy Cheryl Image)

Hope you come and join us at WAW for this week's Challenge.  Freckled Fawn is our awesome sponsor for this week and the winner will get a $15 Gift cert to spend at the sponsor's store.  You can use our free Word Art in your project to link with us although not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, inspiring , or uplifting, you link up to 5 projects this week.  Have an awesome week and I encourage every believer of Jesus Christ to pray for our country and the world that they may see the light of Christ.  If you are given an opportunity to make a difference in your community and to stand up for the Gospel of Truth---be bold, be strong, for the Lord is with you.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Scripture Series: Let No man Despise Thy Youth Card---Another Inspirational Challenge Week at Word Art Wednesday!

It's another Wednesday and so happy to share what I made for the Word Art Wednesday (WAW) Challenge. This week had been a whole lot of spiritual challenge for me.  Everywhere I turn, there's just enormous evidence of ungodly agenda being forwarded not only in the city where I live, in our State, all over the country, and the world.  The media had long been suppressing the Truth and are pulling every stops to deceive people into believing that what is right in God's eyes is wrong and the wrong---right.  Literally, I have to find balance news elsewhere to see the big picture.  There's a spreading hatred for everything Godly and Hollywood and media had been their biggest ally.  I have to search online for Godly movies at times and had to limit sitting in front of the TV because there's pretty much nothing family friendly to watch except for a few Christian channels.  A couple of days ago, my family went to support a Pro-Life Rally as the leaders of our State with the support of the majority of the people put out a bill that would make abortion facilities come up to the level of standards of other medical facilities and to protect the rights of the unborn from 20 weeks onwards in the State of Texas.  This will not only eliminate the dangers women face when something goes wrong in the abortion facilities but will also save a lot of babies (5 months-onwards) whose welfare no one really cares to discuss.  The Bill is being labeled by abortion supporters as "anti-women", when in fact, the rights of women who decided/deciding to abort their babies have already been given to them (truthfully!) when their own parents granted them life on this earth, yet no one gives any right to the innocent, unborn babies that have been sentenced to death by their own mothers.  I've seen several graphic photos of babies, 25 weeks and older aborted and I shed a huge amount of tears, hurt to my core, for what we have allowed to be done to these helpless children.  We have allowed ungodly men and women to rule us and to push the agenda of Satan when we could have made our voices heard by educating people when we gather as a Church and to call it what it is, BETRAYAL and MURDER OF ONE'S FLESH AND BLOOD.  We sugar-coated this and many ugly truths by preaching prosperity gospels instead of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yes, the Bible specifically said in Romans 13:1, " Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."  But when the government commands us to do things against God's Word, we need to pray, take the necessary action and stand firm to the Truth we have in Christ.  God's Word tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people---for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."  We see examples in the Bible on refusal of a believer to follow ungodly laws when they were governed by ungodly rulers:

• Refusal to murder babies – the Hebrew midwives refused to murder babies under the command of Pharaoh and were blessed by God because of their actions (Exodus 1:15-21).
• Refusal to kill prophets – Obadiah hid 100 prophets from Jezebel who was murdering all of God's spokesmen (1 Kings 18:4, 13-15).
• Refusal to worship an idol – Daniel's companions refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue (Daniel 3).
• Refusal to pray to a king vs. God – Daniel is thrown into the lion's den for refusing the king's mandate to pray to him and no other god (Daniel 6).
• Refusal to stop preaching the gospel – the apostles refused the leader's requests to stop preaching about Christ (Acts 4).
• Refusal to worship the Antichrist – during the tribulation period, believers will disobey the law to worship the Antichrist (Revelation 12:11). 

We are in this day and time when we really have to choose whom to serve. God told us in Revelation 3:16, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  We cannot say we are for God and promote and do things that are against His Word.  We cannot say we love Him and yet do nothing towards the injustice and extinction of human life through abortion.  We cannot stand by the laws of God yet promote homosexuality or turn a blind eye on every ungodly policies just because we don't want to engage in the battleground.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and has not wage a war in the spirit, been persecuted, been criticized and called a "Jesus Freak" and many other names, then, you certainly have to fall down on your knees and ask God to restore you to your "First Love."  A true believer devotes his/her time in studying the Word of God and the more I learn about Jesus, the more I fall in love with Him.  Those that hate Jesus are doing so because they don't care enough to know Him.  Without hearing God's Word, faith does not come (Romans 10:17).  I urge you,  those who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who has a personal relationship with Him and  are a "new creation" (John 3:3) through Jesus' sacrifice in the Cross of Calvary, to begin looking at your city, your state and our country and see what you can do to make a difference.  You will not see any balance reporting through the media for they already sold themselves to the worldly agenda, instead,  connect with Godly communities and organizations and be a part of the change you want to see in your city, our country and eventually, the world.  This is the very reason why we are born in this place and time and we will have to answer to the Lord on the task He gave us to do while here on earth in due time.  This is what me and my family are committed to do.  By the grace of God, I will accomplish my assignment here on earth.  I know I have a bright future in the Millenial Reign of Christ and throughout eternity.  Yet, I must remain faithful to the task given to me at this present time.  No fear in Jesus' Name!

Today, I want to share with you the card I created for our Challenge at WAW.  The free Word Art can be downloaded at our WAW Blog site) is taken from 1 Timothy 4:12 which says,  "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  It is important to train our children in the ways of the Lord  as they are the next generation whose going to govern our country.  Don't you wonder why there's an all-out war on everything Godly in our schools, in public places and eliminating everything that will remind you of our Godly heritage?  How the name of Jesus is being mocked in movies and television and if anyone mentions the name of Jesus Christ to give Him glory, they always try and cut those in the broadcast?  There is something in the name of JESUS that changes people and Truth to be told, Satan tries so hard to stop people from hearing about their Savior.  Kids at school are prevented from praying and the right to fellowship in the campuses and those that are in college are being brainwashed, fed by lies in the hopes that they will abandon everything they learned about the One True God.  It is very important that we teach them the ways of the Lord and that they don't just hide it in their hearts but for them to live by it and know its significance in their lives. The youth has an incredible voice that magnifies the Lord and they deserve to be heard.

Anyway, to compliment the wonderful verse this week, I used a Mo Manning image called "Harvard," colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir markers, and added some Glossy accents to the eye glasses.  This image is so cute and somehow resembles my little boy (7 years old) who absolutely loves the Lord Jesus.  I home school him and with the Lord's guidance, He's already in his 4th grade books.  Thank you, God!  I used some scrap DP's mostly from My Mind's Eye.  I die cut the scallop with Nestabilities, cut a circle with my MS Circle Cutter, added some gems from Imaginisce and buttons from Paper Studio.  I scribbled the message in the paper the image is holding and the title (Holy Bible) to the the littlest book the image is carrying.  Finally, I stitched all over this card.  I love the results.  What do you think?

 

 LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH CARD:

 LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH CARD LAYERS:

 LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH CARD INSIDE:

LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Make it Monday---ATG
Inspire Me Fridays---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Sister Act---ATG
Stamp Society---3 Designer Papers
Creative Fingers---ATG
Paper Makeup Stamps---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
Crafter's Cafe---ATG
Happy Campers---Bling
Challenges 4 Everybody---ATG
Loves Rubberstamps---Use a Hoarded Item (Definitely the Designer Papers and digi images)
Papertake Weekly---Old, New Borrowed or Blue (DP's are old, Digi image is new)
One Stop Craft---ATG
ABC Challenge---Q for Quite a Few/Lots of Layers
Gem of a Challenge---Lots of Layers
Addicted to Stamps---Lots of Layers
Allsorts---Favorite Things (Gems and DP's)
Artistic Inspirations---Bling
Creative Inspirations---ATG
Great Impressions---ATG
My Craft Creations---ATG
NMWC---ATG (With Stamping or Digi Image)
One Crazy Stamper---Kraft
Totally Gorjuss---ATG with Circles

Well , this is all for now.  Don't forget to join us at WAW and use the free Word Art in your project although it's not mandatory.  As long as you keep it family friendly, inspiring and uplifting, you can link up to 5 projects.  A winner will be selected from the entries and gets to choose a stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps.  Have a wonderful week and remember that you are special in God's sight. He has placed you here with a purpose---to give glory to the wonderful name of Jesus!

Sending Love Hugs Kiss Center Step Card---It's Anything Goes with a Twist at our Neighborhood, 613 Avenue Create!

It's Sunday morning, dear friends!  I am so excited to escort people in worship of the Lord at our Church this morning.  God gave me the talent to sing and dance for Him so, what an honor it is to give glory and praise to our wonderful Creator.  When I am up on stage, although, we are in front of the brethren, we are not there to entertain anyone.  I truly perform for an audience of One.  I stand there, being the vessel of the Holy Spirit who takes over me and enable me to glorify my Father in Heaven.  Without the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we cannot even say, "Jesus is Lord." (1 Corinthians 12:3) Remember what the scriptures tell us in Matthew 16:15-17... "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."  You see, the Spirit of God does not live in  unholy place.  Before the Fall of Man, Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8).  They heard His voice and had an intimate relationship with their Father until they chose to disobey and the presence of God became a fearful experience for both of them.  What used to comfort them became their terror....The presence of God left them that very instant.  God told them in Genesis 2:17, "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  You see, their physical bodies did not die but their spiritual connection with God was what died that day.  As human beings, we are tripartite beings---meaning we are made of spirit, soul and body.  From that time on, every human being, born physically are born with this darkened spirit ruled by the "sin nature" which comes directly from it's very source---Satan!  For that very reason, as we go through the Old Testament, God's  presence only dwells in specific objects--thus we recall the Tabernacles and the Ark of the Covenant (see Exodus) and the Temple of Solomon with the Holy of  Holies (See 1 and 2 Chronicles).  Yet the very heart of God is to dwell in the hearts of every believer, free from "sin nature" and that was only made possible after Jesus Christ died on the Cross and through His death, burial and resurrection, those who put their faith in Him died from that sinful nature and their darkened spirits were made alive again by being Born-again  (John 3:3).  For the first time, after the Fall of Man, God's Spirit dwells in the hearts of men as recorded in   Acts 2:1-4 that says, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." The spirit of man that was once darkened have now been resurrected and we, who have trusted Jesus Christ, can now enjoy a fellowship with God like a breach had never taken place.  Jesus lives inside of me, therefore, my mouth shall only utter praise for Him for He has literally saved my life and brought a new joy and a song in my heart.  This is the very hope that I want to share with everyone who had been trying so hard to live their life in their own terms.  It is impossible to please God when that very nature of sin lives inside of us.  We are to put that nature to death and come back to life by faith in Jesus Christ.  Then and only then, will we be able to become God's Temple.  I would like to share these verses to you:

"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17)

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)

What a blessing it is to honor God with everything I do including this Card that I made for our new Anything Goes Challenge with a Twist, happening now at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create.  For those who are seeking some challenge in their creation, the "Twist" is all about "Creating Your Own Challenge"  All it is is that we have a set of materials you can choose from and incorporate them in your cards.  I have done my share and I came up with this wonderful creation.  I used an image from one of our sponsors, Rick St. Dennis called "Mailboxes."  I added another image from one of my favorite artists, Mo Manning, and added this cute image called "Sophie."  I colored both of them with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir/Bic markers.  The base card is a 5.5 X 11 inches and cut and scored to make a Center Step Card out of Kraft CS.  I selected 3 DP's from DCWV, 3 colored CS and more Kraft CS for panels and matting, a wonderful sentiment I got free from Create with TLC which I added color on using Paint program,  die cut with Nestabilities using Lacey Circle (biggest) and created a border using an MS Punch.   I also added some glitters (Stickles-Diamond), some gems from Imaginisce, a Crochet flower that I made (see My Etsy Store if you wish to purchase some) with a brad (from Recollections) and some ribbon. All of these materials came together by following the "Twist."  Lastly, I stitched all over this Card.  I don't know why I selected the bright DP's but I totally think they worked well.  I can only say that God gave me the approval as I was selecting those bold prints and colors thus, this turned out well.  It would be great to hear your comments about this creation. 

 SENDING LOVE HUGS KISS CENTER STEP CARD:

  SENDING LOVE HUGS KISS CENTER STEP CARD SIDE VIEW:

  SENDING LOVE HUGS KISS CENTER STEP CARD LAYERS:

  SENDING LOVE HUGS KISS CENTER STEP CARD INSIDE:

 SENDING LOVE HUGS KISS CENTER STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

There you have it, friends!  I hope you will visit us at 613 Avenue Create and link up (up to 3 projects) with us.  It can be Anything Goes or take the challenge by following our Twist for this week.  That is to "Create Your Own Challenge."  It seem complicated but it's really not.  I found out that most of the materials listed were already some of the ones I used in every card I make so, didn't sweat it out much.  There's great prizes to be won from Rick St. Dennis Digis and QKR Stampede, our sponsors for this Challenge.  I will be back this Wednesday to highlight another Card for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.  Meanwhile, keep the comments coming as I love reading them.  Remember to live your life each day worthy of the sacrifice that Jesus died for in the Cross.  That simply means not depending on anything, even yourself, but total reliance on Jesus!