Scripture Series: In The Power of God Card---Be Inspired at our Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday...

Hello there, Crafty Peeps!  It's another Wednesday and time to bring you another Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  Our Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) is found in 1 Corinthians 2:5 which says, "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." Throughout the years, men discovered and invented so many things.  We've come a long way with all the discoveries and modern-day technology.  But what a lot of us fail to understand is none of those will be possible if God didn't allow us to discover them.  Look at the vastness of space yet we can only cover what our modern day telescopes can access.  We know there's a lot more around us but we cannot be certain because of our limited abilities.  Have you heard how they use Science to contradict some teachings of the Scripture?  But if we investigate closely, we can conclude that Science is just beginning to scratch the surface of God's Truth as revealed in the Scripture.  The wisdom of Man is finite compared to the infinite knowledge of God who created all things and in Whom all things live and move.  God's Word tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  No man can ever fathom the depth, the width and the height of God's sovereign wisdom and knowledge. He is the Creator and we are the created!  We are incapable of understanding fully until we allow the Omniscient (All-knowing) God reveal to us us His work and plan.  Like Apostle Paul, we can have everything to boast about intellectually but all of that is nothing compared to the mind of God.  As a Born-Again (John 3:3) believer, we have in us the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. He is our witness to the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross, translates to us God's Word and empowers us to understand God's sovereign plan.  He is God in us!  If we are to boast, we should only boast of what God has done in our lives and His very power that rest upon each one of us through Jesus.  Let God's Word comfort you and strengthen your faith in anything and everything.   As it is said in Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ."  Man's wisdom is limited...God's wisdom is endless!  Only a fool wouldn't know the difference.  Here are some verses to live by if we are to trust fully in the wisdom of God:

 

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe"  (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  (Romans 12:2-3)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

For this Card, I used an image I got from Jade Dragonne called "Dreamer" which I paper-pieced and colored with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is an A7 Kraft card from Paper Studio.  The DP's are from Paper Studio "Newsworthy Stack" and a small piece from my scraps.  The dies for the image and the lacy circle are from Nestabilities, the leaves from using an EK Success punch and the flower and washi tape are from Paper Studio.  For some vintage feel, I ink the edges of the flower as well as the edges of the image with a Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  Lastly, I stitched all over this project.  I am very, very pleased.  God truly inspires!

 IN THE POWER OF GOD CARD:

IN THE POWER OF GOD CARD LAYERS:

IN THE POWER OF GOD CARD INSIDE:

IN THE POWER OF GOD CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Creative Moments---ATG/Inside Out
I Love ProMarkers---Anything but a Square
Paper Shelter---Flower Power
Penny's Paper-Crafty---ATG
Simon Says Stamp---ATG
Whimsy Stamps---Anything but a Square Card
Wonderful Wednesday---ATG
Fan-Tastic Tuesday---ATG with a Twist: Add Texture
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
Sweet Stamps---Paper-Piecing
TTCRD---ATG
Artistic Inspirations---ATG/Die-Cuts
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Cutie Pie---Layer It Up
Dream Valley---ATG
Incy Wincy Designs---All or Nothing ( I have lots of layers)
Love to Scrap---ATG
Make my Monday---Use Kraft
Melonheadz Friends---Flowers Everywhere
Mema's Crafts---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
Stamp and Create---May Flower
Paper Nest Dolls---ATG
Pink Elephant---ATG
Use Your Stuff---Flowers

Hope you join the fun at our WAW Challenge.  There's wonderful prizes awaiting our blessed winners from two of our sponsors this week, Docerela Shop (Stamp Set) and The Peacock Eye ($29 GC).  You can choose to incorporate the free Word Art (sentiment) you see in my card for projects you wish to make and link with us though it's not mandatory.  You can submit up to 5 projects (Anything Goes) as long as it's family friendly, inspirational or uplifting.  Can't wait to see what you come up with.  Have a blessed week and always remember to take the time to talk to our Heavenly Father every chance we are given. Hugs!

Inspirational Series: To Those Who Believe Easel Card---Another Anything Goes Challenge Happening at our Neighborhood, 613 Avenue Create!

Hello everyone!  It's early Monday and I was unable to post this yesterday due to a very hectic day.  But let me greet you all, "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!"  Let us take the time to think about our fallen soldiers and how their lives were given so that we can enjoy the freedom we have now.  Let us also thank the men and women who fought and are still fighting so that we can continue to live free here in America.  It is their sacrifice along with their families that allow us to live peacefully in the land God blessed us with.  Let us pray for these selfless individuals for God's continuous protection, wisdom and strength as they risk their lives in the front lines.   Anyway, I would like to share with you the inspiration behind the card I made for our Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  I consider this project "prophetic" as it depicts a wonderful and glorious time in a  believer's future event (those whose faith is anchored solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ).  It will also be the reality for those who will survive the horrors of the "Great Tribulation" as they struggle to reject the "Mark of the Beast." The Second Coming of Jesus shall mark the end of Tribulation and beginning of the "Millennial Reign of Christ." In this thousand year period, Satan whose the sole author of killing, stealing and destruction (John 10:10) will be bound for all those years in the bottomless pit.  Jesus will rule and reign with absolute Truth, Peace, Justice and Love and all the earth will be filled with the righteousness of God---in absolute freedom from evil.  That means no sickness, diseases nor death of any kind.  Those who are washed by the blood of the Lamb will rule with Christ in their glorified bodies---not subject to time and space.  Those who came from the Tribulation will still be mortal and will pro-create. Since death, sickness and killings are not present, the whole earth will be filled with mortal men who will not know evil.  These two kinds of human beings (mortal and immortal) will co-exist in this Kingdom of God on earth together with all of God's creation.  Isaiah 11:6-10 tells us, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."  This Scripture will find it's fulfillment in that time as Jesus comes to rule His Kingdom among men.  Every Born-Again believer (John 3:3) will have a vital role in this glorious time based on their faithfulness and obedience during their mortal existence.  The image I shared in my inspiration card today speaks volume to the message I wish to convey about our extraordinary future.   I picture myself riding a huge bear or hugging a lion or a tiger (for all eternity) and those creatures who were once considered wild will respond with love and reverence to the authority God has given Man, as it was in the beginning before the Fall took place.   

I know what you're thinking!   This is hard to believe when we consider what is happening nowadays in this world.  Sin and rebellion is rampant and it appears that evil is winning.  But such is not the case!  God has spoken of our victory before the beginning of time.  That is why we are to trust God's Word no matter what!  2 Corinthians 4:18 clearly tells us, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  God gave us His Word (the 66 Books of the Bible) as a road map of our past, present and future.  Everything written therein had been fulfilled/ is being fulfilled and will be fulfilled at the time appointed by God, the Father!  It is therefore wise for every human being to live by it so as not to be deceived by the enemy.  Every child of God has a glorious future according to God's Word.  But also written therein are the horrific, eternal damnation that awaits those that ignored/ignores the finished work (death, burial and resurrection) of Christ.  The place of your eternal destination is within your reach today and it starts by taking in the "seed" of God's Word through faith in Jesus Christ, our One and Only hope! 

Anyway, our Challenge at 613 Avenue Create is always Anything Goes but if you like some challenge,  you can take on the optional twist which is "Create Your Own Challenge."  Find out the materials you can use in the Chart and incorporate at least one material per column in your creation.  Details can be found at the Challenge Site.  For my card, I used an image from one of our sponsors, "A Day for Daisies"  called "My World" and colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square Easel Card. Instead of DP's, I opted to use a couple of embossing folders from Cuttlebug.  I die-cut some shapes from Nestabilities to frame my image and some swirls from Sizzix to embellish the flowers that I layered from Prima.  I also added some brads, liquid pearls (Platinum Pearl) and some glitters (Stickles-Crystal).  The wonderful sentiment is a rubber stamp from Stampabilities.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card. 

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE EASEL CARD:

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE EASEL CARD WHEN CLOSE:

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE EASEL CARD SIDE VIEW:

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE EASEL CARD WITH MESSAGE SPACE:

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE EASEL CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Artistic Inspirations---ATG with a Twist: Die Cuts
ColourQ---Inspiration Photo
Crafting by Designs---Sentimentally
Crafty Creations---Color Palette
Creative Moments---ATG/Teentastic
Fab 'n' Funky---Flora and Fauna
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Little Red Wagon---To Die For
Penny's Paper Crafty---ATG
Crafty Sentiments---ATG
Fan-Tastic Tuesday---ATG with a Twist: No Patterned Paper
Scrap-Creations---ATG
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Top Tip Tuesday---Animal
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Cutie Pie---Layer it Up
Love to Scrap---ATG
Mema's Crafts---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Create and Inspire---ATG
Simply Papercraft---ATG
Lia Stampz---Embossing
Come and Get It----Tic Tac Toe (Die-Cut/Sentiment/Flowers)
So, Show Us---How Does Your Garden Grow?
Great Impressions---Celebrate Spring
Lacy Sunshine---Tic Tac Toe  (Flowers/Stitching/Hand-colored image)
Robyn's Fetish---ATG
Scribble and Scrap---ATG
Stamping Sensations---Flower Power
Corrosive---ATG
Melonheadz Friends---Flowers Everywhere 

There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge with an optional Twist at 613 Avenue Create.  There's wonderful prizes awaiting the winners from our lovely sponsors for this week---A Day for Daisies,  Oddball Stamps (a bundle of choice) and Stamplorations.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight this week.  I hope you have a wonderful week filled with the divine inspiration of God's Word to carry through the journey of life and take us to our glorious future. Stay anchored in His Word!

Scripture Series: Word is Very Nigh Card---It's an Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge Happening at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello everyone!  What a great day to bless the Lord and to bring you another Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  Our highlighted Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) comes from Deuteronomy 30:14 which says, "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." God gave us the Scripture so that we'll find out from there His ONLY WAY to righteousness. It is a road map to living a life of freedom that is only accessible through faith in Jesus Christ.  Before our Savior was born, during the time of Moses, men were guided by God's commandments.  People thought that by obeying them, they could earn righteousness in the sight of God.  But they forgot something!  That is, if they desired to be justified by the law, they have to obey every law given.  Doing some and leaving others behind voided everything.  That is why, NO ONE can be justified by obeying the Law.  It is impossible for anyone to fulfill them all.  The sacrifices they made for the atonement of sin were just a temporary fix. They only dealt with the surface but not the root of the problem.   The SIN NATURE (that was deposited by the devil to every human heart after the Fall of Man) didn't meet it's CURE until the FINISHED WORK OF JESUS CHRIST AT THE CROSS (His death, burial and resurrection) became a reality.  

I can't begin to tell you how privilege we are to live in this PERIOD OF GRACE.  Think about it, we are living in the same spiritual reality as in the time of Noah. When everyone was being asked to believe and to come to the Ark of Safety to be saved from the time of judgment.  For many years, they have seen the Ark being  built and some of them even helped build it.  The animals were ushered inside in pairs and with all the time it took, none of them believed the coming wrath of God that will wipe out a rebellious mankind from the face of the earth.  Right now, JESUS IS OUR ARK OF SAFETY!  The Scripture clearly tells us in John 3:16-17, "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 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  The moment we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have received Him as the perfect Lamb that took away the sins of the world, once and for all!  He only had to do it once and that act became a believer's ticket to the presence of God forever.  We don't pay for it with material possessions nor with fleshly endeavors (human effort).  None of them will ever please our Creator and pay for our sins.  What it does require is the full surrender of ourselves to Him through faith (trust no matter what).  It means dying to one's self (selfish motives and ambitions) and yielding our lives for His glory.   We need to die from the old nature in Adam (plagued by the Sin Nature and rebellion of God) and be Born-again to a divine nature in Christ.  That is why Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus made a lot of sense when he said in John 3:3, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."  For what does sin nature have in common with the holiness of God?...Absolutely nothing!  We cannot live a holy life without the model of holiness---Jesus Christ, inside our hearts.  When we allow Him in, He begins the work in us!  He helps us get to know Him and develop a love and faith relationship with Him as we go through life's trials and temptations.  He allows us to hear His voice through the revelation of His Word as He speaks in our hearts.  John 1:1 pertains to Jesus when it declared, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  Here's the Truth-- Jesus is the very Word of God that lives inside every human being that accepted His sacrifice at the Cross and began a personal relationship with Him through a Born-again experience.  Yes, He is near us!  He's the Word in our mouths that lives inside our hearts.  We are to allow Him to use us mightily for His own work and purpose.  This lifetime will pass away and our passion and eagerness to obey Him will reap its eternal rewards.  If the Lord of lords and the King of kings gives rewards, how precious and awesome those rewards will be?  Hope this encourages you to fight the good fight of faith daily knowing that when you're trust is in the Lord, you are never alone...Just want to share with you these compelling verses about our hope in Christ:

"Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."  (John 1:16-18)

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:35-40)

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."  (1 John 4:10-12)

For this Card, I used an image I got for free at "Make it Crafty" which I colored with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DPs all come from Recollections, the white nail head gems from Imaginisce and for some sparkle, I used Stickles glitter (Yellow and Crystal).  The wonderful die-cut that frames the Scripture Word Art is cut with Cuttlebug using a Nestabilities die.  I also added a Recollections fabric tape and stitched all over this creation.  This is quite different from my usual bright colors but just feeling a more subdued color palette for a change.  Hope you like it.

WORD IS VERY NIGH CARD:

 WORD IS VERY NIGH CARD LAYERS:

WORD IS VERY NIGH CARD SIDE VIEW:

 WORD IS VERY NIGH CARD INSIDE:

WORD IS VERY NIGH CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered  into the following Challenges:

Crafting by Designs---Sentimentally
Crafty Gals---Color Challenge
Creative Moments---ATG/Teentastic
Fab 'n' Funky---Flora and Fauna
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Little Red Wagon---To Die For
Penny's Paper Crafty---ATG
Crafty Sentiments---ATG
Scrap-Creations---ATG
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
Mema's Crafts---ATG
Stamp and Create---May Flowers
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Create and Inspire---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Use Patterned Paper
So, Show Us---How Does Your Garden Grow?
Great Impressions---Celebrate Spring 
Stamping Sensations---Flower Power 

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 up to 5 times this week.  Lots of prizes to be won from our two wonderful sponsors---Close to my Heart (Stamp Set) and Moonlighting by Mary (Digi Images).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the joy of the Lord overtake you today.  Let us be eager to share to anyone who desires to listen the hope we found in Christ, our Savior.

Scripture Series: Pleasure in His People Center Step Card---It's Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday once again, Crafty guys and gals!  We have another Scripture Word Art we want to share with you today (you can download for free) at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  Its taken from Psalm 149: 4 and it says, "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."  Just a while ago, I gave my 9 year old some hugs and kisses and I could see how he loves being pampered with love.  Now, a thought suddenly came to my mind on how he would feel if we don't give them those hugs and kisses he expects daily and he was showered with since he was born.  Oh well,  I decided to give him a big squeeze and a kiss and told him this, "Son, remember that though you don't see the Lord physically, He is really hugging you and giving you lots of kisses all the time.  That is because He loves you very very much."  He then replied, "I know Mommy, I know!"

Come to think of it, there's so many people who claimed no one loves them.  Some of them ended their lives convinced that they didn't mean anything to anyone.  There could be lots of traumatic experiences with  parents or love ones hurting their kids growing up (either physically, emotionally, mentally or all the above) that one may have a point in saying such a thing.  Others have been hurt by their friends whom they taught were out there to help and protect them.  But the core reason for anyone to feel that way is because we have relied on mortal beings to show us what "True Love" really means.  In other words, we are looking at all the wrong places for something that is primarily spiritual in nature.  God is love and "True Love' can only come from a "True God."  God's kind of love is selfless---that which put the needs of others first before personal needs/gain."  Almighty God demonstrated this perfect kind of love (Agape) by sending His One and Only Son as a ransom for all mankind.  That in Jesus' death, everyone who puts their faith in what He has done shall enjoy eternal life in Him.  He had to endure the entire ordeal for He has His EYE ON THE PRIZE---The salvation of His people and their eternal future in His presence.  

We need to keep in mind that God's love is surrounding us even though we cannot see it physically.  God uses people to demonstrate and allow us to feel His love.  For every hug and kisses I give my little boy,  I want him to see Christ in all those gestures.  For every opportunities, answered prayers and dreams fulfilled, I want him to see the Lord's goodness in them. For taking care of our needs---his own health and his parent's health, I want him to see the Lord's faithfulness.  And in the absence of those, even through a stranger's concern and help, that he would see God's love is powerfully at work.  The Word of God says in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  I believe that the deepest love we show our love ones could not in any way measure up to the level of love God has for us.  In other words, we are merely scratching the surface and in no way will we be able to frame God's love according our standards of love.  Only Jesus have shown a perfect and complete picture of the Father's love for us.  Romans 8:37-39 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  God delights in all His children and as we humble ourselves to Him, He pours more of Himself to us.  It will be a disadvantage for anyone to be arrogant and boastful in the presence of our Lord.  For we are the created and our Creator knows what is best for us.  When we come to Him with meekness (humility, lowliness, modesty, submissiveness), we are truly saying to our God that we are lacking and that our wholeness/completeness can only be possible in His presence .  The Father's most precious gift is His Son that brought us our salvation.  If you have not claimed this gift from God, your package is waiting for you at the foot of the Cross.  The "key" to the door is FAITH and the "password" is JESUS!  Just want to share with you what Jesus told His disciples about the Father's love, His love and of loving one another:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."  (John 15:9-17)

For this Card, I used an image from Bugaboo Stamps called "Girl Big Heart" that I colored with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches center step design.  I used one DP for paper-piecing the heart and the rest of the background were produced using 3 different embossing folders from Darice and Cuttlebug.  I added a bit of glitter to some parts of the image (Stickles-Crystal) , some white nail head gems and decided to cut out the Word Art and spread it all around the image.  Lastly, I stitched all over this creation.  Sometimes, it feels good to just go for simple, white on white design.  I absolutely love this!

PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE CENTER STEP CARD:

PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE CENTER STEP CARD LAYERS:

PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE CENTER STEP CARD SIDE VIEW:

PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE CENTER STEP CARD INSIDE:

PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE CENTER STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Catch the Bug---In the Garden
Loves Rubberstamps---Add a Sentiment
QKR Stampede---Nature
Mema's Crafts---ATG
Penny's Paper-Crafty---More than One Fold
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
Sister Act---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Crafter's Cafe---Feminine
Crafting by Designs---Flowers
Crafty Gals---May Flowers
Creative Moments---ATG/Teentastic
I love Promarkers---Flowers
Inky Impressions---More than One Fold
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Little Red Wagon---Make an Impression
Moo-Mania---Flowers
Whimsy Stamps---Color an Image
Wonderful Wednesday---ATG
Creative Card Crew---Embossing: Wet or Dry
Deep Ocean---Flowers
Scrap-Creations---ATG
Aurora Wings---Flowers
Cutie Pie---Layers
Get Creative--For the Ladies/Mother's Day
Incy Wincy---Great Outdoors
Love to Scrap---Stitch in Time
Melonheadz Friends---All About Kids
Not Just Cards---ATG
Paper Nest Dolls---ATG

Hope you enjoyed my featured project today at WAW...I am looking forward to see your projects linked to our Challenge.  You can include the free Word Art in your projects to link,  but not a requirement.  You can submit any inspirational, uplifting, family friendly creations (up to 5) for more chances to win our prize from our sponsors this week---Iralamija Etsy Shop (Digi Images) and Craft Stop (2 Embossing Folders). Always remember to call on Jesus 24/7 if you need someone to talk with.  He is always willing to listen and is able to meet everyone whose heart is seeking after Him. 

Little Birdie Told Me "Birdday" Easel Card---Join the Excitement for Another Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello Crafty Peeps!  I had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday that I was unable to post this project on time.  I trust that you all had some great time as well with your family.  Yesterday's message at my  Church is part of the series in "Warfareology" that our Pastor had been preaching for many weeks now.  We ought to know who truly is behind all the evil happening in this world.  In other words, we need to know who the Church (called-out ones, Born-Again, John 3:3) is fighting against and what do we have to know about him. Lucifer, now known as Satan was one of the heavenly beings created by God.  He was created as a holy angel. Ezekiel 28:12-14 describes Satan as having been created a cherub, apparently the highest created angel. He became arrogant in his beauty and status and decided he wanted to sit on a throne above that of God (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:15; 1 Timothy 3:6). Satan’s pride led to his fall. Notice the many “I will” statements in Isaiah 14:12-15. Because of his sin, God permanently removed Satan from his exalted position and role.  Now, we know that God gave Man the dominion and authority to rule over His creation here earth.  But when Man fell into sin, Adam gave that God-given authority to Satan.  That is why there's the widespread chaos, stealing, killing and destruction all over the world (John 10:10).   We ought to know that every person that works against God and willingly transgress from the principles of the Almighty based on His written Word have the spirit of the enemy working upon him.  God clearly tells us in Ephesians 6:11-13, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."   I have to remind myself these words every time I encounter people in person or at a political, media and entertainment and other spheres of influence.  Those who don't have concerns for LIFE (like abortion, terrorism and others) and are doers and supporters of  SEXUAL PERVERSIONS (such as Sodomy, Polygamy, Molestations, Pedophilia and countless others) and promotes the lies, schemes and wickedness of government officials and entertainment icons.  They are pushing their personal agenda and rebellion of God through immorality and indecency wrapped in deceptive (twisted Truth) package to those who are ignorant of God's Word.   Underneath that flesh and blood is the Puppeteer, the old serpent, that works with them like puppets.  We can't say that if we rid of those people in our government and public scene that our conflict is done.  Not at all!  Every person who does not have a personal relationship with Christ are spiritually owned by the devil and he can willingly influence and possess them to do his vile work for him.  I know this is difficult to hear and many preachers have stopped preaching about this Truth so that they can entertain their congregation.  But Truth is Truth!  The Word of God wants us to know who our enemy is---hiding underneath the human flesh.  We are to be spiritually sensitive so that we can escape his trap.  In our families, we have people who are spiteful of God and the devil uses whatever they have gone through or whatever they struggle with to exploit them even more.  We should stand firm in His Word and armed with love, battle with the wicked spirits that are using them.  As one who have been reborn and a recipient of the Holy Spirit of God that dwells inside of us after we placed our faith upon the finished work of Christ (His death, burial and resurrection), we possess all the power needed to trample the works of Satan.  Luke 10:17-21 tells us, "When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”  As one whose name is written in the Book of Life, we are to stand in the gap to reveal the devil's deception out in the open and assist in leading the afflicted to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  So, the next time our blood pressure goes up with righteous indignation towards the perversion we see happening in our world, remember the spirit/s that are behind them.  We are to pray for those individuals and ask the Lord to demolish those powers at work in them and apply the necessary action.  Jesus gave us full authority and we ought to use them as we wage war against all wicked spiritual forces here on earth.  "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  I want to share with you these words spoken by Jesus about God's True Children and we should take it with humility and understanding.  We are paid for with the blood of Christ and even the faith that we have to come to Him was from Him....And we ought to be grateful---very grateful for what He had done for us and share it with others!

"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father. ”“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:34-47)

Anyway, we have a new Anything Goes Challenge with an optional twist "Let's Celebrate" happening at 613 Avenue Create.  I decided to make a Birthday Easel card.  For this project, I used an image provided by one of our sponsors this week, Toadstool Printables, which is called "Serenity Prayer."  Our optional theme is "Celebration" so I decided to focus on the image and skip the serenity prayer sentiment that came with it.  I found some sentiments from my newest fave digi company, "From the Heart Stamps" and found two of the main sentiments in this project at the "Birthday Candle Birdbrain Set."  Anyway, for my main image, I colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is Kraft that is cut and score to make a 5.5 inches square Easel card.  The two wonderful DP's are from my old set of papers from DCWV.  I die cut the fancy frame die from Spellbinder by running it through my Cuttlebug.  The flowers are from Prima, the buttons from Paper Studio, the ribbon and twine from my stash and I used a 1" circle punch from Fiskars to create the slot for the tag.  I stamped a swirl from Inkadinkado using Turquoise ink to enhance the background, added some Crystal Stickles to the flower and parts of the image and lastly, I took the time to do some regular and fancy stitches to this project.  I am very pleased and thanking the Lord for His inspiration.    

LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME EASEL CARD:

LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME EASEL CARD LAYERS/WHEN CLOSE:

LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME EASEL CARD TAG:

LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME EASEL CARD WITH MESSAGE SPACE/TAG:

LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME EASEL CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Artistic Inspirations---ATG/Twist of Swirls
Aurora Wings---Flowers
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Cutie Pie---Layer It Up
Dream Valley---Things with Wings
Eureka Stamps---Flowers
Get Creative---For the Ladies or Mother's Day
Incy Wincy---Great Outdoors
Love to Scrap---Stitch in Time
Kraft Journal---Take Your Pick (Pink, Buttons, Tag)
Mema's Crafts---ATG
My Creative Moments---Flowers
Not Just Cards---ATG
Scrapbook Stamp Society---ATG/New Beginnings
Stamp and Create---May Flowers
Paper Girls---Cute Critters
Paper Nest Dolls---ATG
Whoopsi Daisy---Things with Wings
Catch the Bug---In the Garden
Pile It On---Cute Animal
QKR Stampede---Nature
Natalie and Amy---Animals
Party Time Tuesday---ATG
Paper Creator---Animals
Sister Act---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Wonderful Wednesday---ATG 

There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge with an optional Twist at 613 Avenue Create.  There's wonderful prizes awaiting the winners from our lovely sponsors for this week---My Whimsical Little World,  Poppyseed Graphics and Toadstool Printables.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight this week.  I hope you have a wonderful week filled with the divine inspiration of God's Word and be able to share the Hope you have in you to bring light to the dark places in your sphere of influence.  Would love to hear your comments too.   Hugs, always!   

Scripture Series: In His Holy Name Card---Here's Another Family Friendly/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello there, fellow Bloggers!  Since it's Wednesday, we are having another Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) that highlights a free Scripture Word Art.  This one comes from 1 Chronicles 16:10 that says, "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."  As one repents from his old life (being in Adam) and comes to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through His finished work at the Cross, he becomes free from all the bondage that Satan has placed on him.  The Sin Nature which was planted by the Devil in every human being was destroyed by the powerful blood of Jesus Christ.  Our spirit gets Born-Again (born from above, John 3:3) and comes back to life with full access to the throne of the Almighty God.  Yet our body and soul needs to be renewed daily through the power of God's Word and the discipline of the Holy Spirit inside of us.  This is not an instant change but a journey that will take us a lifetime.  We make one step---from glory to glory till we completely transform into His holy perfection.  We will finally see ourselves as He sees us---pure and holy---without blemish!  In His appointed time, we will be the fulfillment of who He really wanted us to be---like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  This is why, anyone who placed their faith in Him has every reason to rejoice.  Philippians 4:4-7 states, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  It does not mean we will not experience hardships in this world but all the trials, pains and suffering we experience each day is but a shadow of an eternal glory which is in our future.  I get it, it is not easy to go through any of them.  All of us wants a very clean sheet of white paper.  One dot of ink destroys the over-all appearance of the white sheet.  Yet no matter how many dots of black ink was placed on that paper, there's still plenty of areas that remains white.  That is how we look at the challenging situations in our lives!  We focus on the hardships but fail to see all the blessings the Lord has given us.  One day,  He promised to erase all of those black dots that plagued us and what is left will be the true radiance of the white sheet.

Friends, I can't reiterate it more!  Each one of us can rejoice even in the midst of difficulties.  It is mandatory to have an Eternal and Biblical perspective so that we are not defeated by the chaos/craziness of this world.  The Word of God informs us of our past, our present and glorious future.  Refer to God and the power of His Word to transform your gloom into gladness.  There is only one thing that connects us to God---that is FAITH!  Without it, we will not come to know Jesus Christ nor hold on to any promises He made.  Without faith, there will be no hope!  Only with faith can we ever demonstrate the Truth that is in love as shown perfectly to us by Jesus Christ.  Having been freed from all that hindered us in the past and had placed us among His saints for a glorious future, we should face everyday with joy in the midst of sadness, victory in the midst of defeat, riches in the midst of poverty and love in the midst of hatred.  It is a direct blow to the works of the enemy (which truly have no power over us in Christ) and a fresh aroma of thanksgiving to the radiant throne of God.  The four elements of true thanksgiving that are found in the Psalm of David written in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 are: 1) remembering what God has done, 2) telling others about it, 3) showing God's glory to other, and 4) offering gifts of self, time and resources.  If you are truly thankful, your life will surely show it.  Sharing with you God's Word on thanksgiving that will surely guide you in your walk with the Lord:

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  (Colossians 3:15-17)

For this Card, I used an image from the newest Art Impressions Clear Stamps that I got from Hobby Lobby.  The set is called "Live Laugh Love" and I've been searching online for a couple of days, I haven't found anything being sold or pics of the two sets I got anywhere.  Huh, talking about rare, for now!  I was hoping to see whether there's more sets available but last time I checked there's none and even the ones I found at the store were only one set each.  I just adore Art Impression's images.  As always, I colored the image with ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is Kraft, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from DCWV and Recollections.  I used my Cuttlebug to die cut the Sizzix swirl and the Scallop Circle.  The flowers are from Recollections that was glittered with Stickles (Crystal).  Lastly, I placed some nail head gems and both fancy and regular stitching all over.  I am happy with how it turned out.

IN HIS HOLY NAME CARD:

IN HIS HOLY NAME CARD LAYERS:

IN HIS HOLY NAME CARD INSIDE:

IN HIS HOLY NAME CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafty Creations---Photo Inspiration
Color Throwdown---Colors
ColourQ---Colors
Creative Moments---ATG/Color Challenge
Double Click---For Mom or Girl
Fab 'n' Funky---May Flowers
Fresh Brewed---For Mom
I Love ProMarkers---ATG
Inky Impressions---Embellishments (I used Gems)
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Moo Mania---Flowers
Penny's Paper Crafty---ATG
Ruby's Rainbow---ATG
Simon Says---Let's Get Sentimental
Wonderful Wednesday---ATG
Pile It On---For a Lady
Fussy and Fancy---Lots of Flowers

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 up to 5 times this week.  Lots of prizes to be won from our two wonderful sponsors---our DT Coordinator, Karen Letchworth  (Dies and Doilies) and Imagine That (3 Digi Images).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the joy and peace of the Lord overtake you today. Always remember that no matter what, He always want what is best for all His creation!