Card Set Series: Thinking of You / Inspirational Cards in a Box---Join the Fun of our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi fellas! I would like to share another project that I featured in our Anything Goes Challenge with an optional twist at 613 Avenue Create.  But before that, I would love to share God's wonderful work. Last week, though exhausted, I've been honored with many wonderful blessings as I went through several activities and experiences with friends at our Church. One of them was a Back to School dinner with long time (Bible class) friends last Thursday after many months of vacation.  It's always a pleasure to get the time to talk and remind ourselves of the blessings of knowing God's Word and how it changed our lives for good.  We shared praiseworthy stories, experiences and even struggles along the way.  The past few weeks had been tough for my family financially and though I believe God takes care of our needs (He always does),  I have to be extra cautious when spending.

It was the opening day of the Christian movie, "War Room"  last Friday and the tickets went on sale a couple of weeks before that. It would be great to watch it that day but I planned to wait till it goes to the discounted theaters in a couple of months.  I thought it would be awesome to watch the movie with the rest of our Church congregation that purchased tickets (about 200+ people confirmed) but first things first and my tight budget could not justify me spending $20 to go with my son (hubby would be at work).  But then, I was fine with it, so  I thought!  Until something happened and God intervened!   Here it is:  Then, one of my Bible class friends whom I had dinner with offered me 2 movie tickets (just before we were ready to leave the restaurant).  I found out that she would be unable to go as the friend she was going with needed to cancel.  She would want me to go with her but realizing that I had to bring my son with me and no way to purchase another ticket as it was sold out, she unselfishly gave me her tickets so that my son and I could watch.  What a blessing to have Godly friends, I tell you!  She knew nothing about my desire to see the movie and my budget constraints yet God used her to bless me and my boy with these prepaid tickets.  Now, tell me if God does not know my thoughts?  This may be a small thing to others but I took home something more from this experience than just the 2 movie tickets that was in my hands.  The Lord impressed upon my heart that He's got my back and that He knew what I was going through and He's perfectly in control!  AND THAT GAVE ME PEACE!

You see, I serve a God who created everything.  Although my physical eyes could not see Him but my spiritual eyes are aware of His presence.  Many people would dismiss their many blessings as coincidental/accidental and could not connect the pieces together.  God's Word declares in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."  Nothing happens to us that our heavenly Father is not aware of.  For those who trust in the Lord, "luck" does not exist.  Many would not believe that a Sovereign God would look down from the heavens and blessed the very least of men.  But if He cares for those who day after day rebels against Him, how much more would He let those who trust in His Name go without a blessing?  He is a merciful, faithful and loving God.   There are many things in our lives that we wondered How He could have allowed us to experience.  But we all know that without those trials and hardships, man would find no need to call or trust God.  We become too proud and we start to believe that we are all that and more.  That everything happens because of our own efforts.  Whether we like it or not, our struggles bring us closer to our loving Father.  It is when we know there's absolutely nothing  we can do that we begin to appreciate the blessings that comes our way.  That even through a simple free movie tickets, you can see the love and the power of God working.  Many would not quit looking at the heavens and wait for a huge miracle to happen but ignore the simplest things that God showers them daily.  I pray that we remain sensitive and always grateful;  a believer with child-like faith who simply rejoices in the simplest and humblest of gifts God is giving us.  Then and only then will we be ready to truly receive a gigantic blessing! I want to share with you the Psalm that King David shared about the faithfulness of God whom He served.  Every believer of Jesus Christ is a partaker of the many blessings that flows from God's throne and we are valuable in His sight more than you'll understand.  We must not let anything nor anyone convince us otherwise.

PSALM 103:

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.  Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion."

For this Card, I used an image from one of our sponsors this week, Aurora Wings which is called "Girl with Poppies"  and colored them with my Bic/Sharpie markers.  The base is a white A2 card with envelopes and the top panel that was dry embossed using a Darice embossing folder (Tribal Chevron) that went through the Cuttlebug.  The card sentiments are from Stampabilitites and Studio 112 and the envelope sentiments is from Technique Tuesday.  The actual cards didn't take long to put together but coloring the images was a lot of work, I should say!  But it came out pretty good.

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS (1):

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS (2):

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS (3):

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS (ALL):

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS SET:

THINKING OF YOU / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS IN A BOX:

This Project is entered into the following Challenges:

ColourQ---Color Challenge
Creative Moments---ATG/Fancy Folds
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Simon Says Stamp---ATG
Kraftin' Kimmie---Fall
Retarte---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Tuesday Throwdown---Just Because
Creative Craft Cottage---ATG
Petal Lu---ATG
Crafting with Friends---ATG
Jo's Scrap Shack---ATG
Crafty Girls Creations---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 sponsor for this week---Aurora Wings.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight this week.  By the way, I strongly recommend that you watch "War Room."  It's one of the greatest movies of our time that will revolutionize our prayer life and would give us a sense of purpose and direction in defeating the enemy in our families, our neighborhood, our nation and the world.  I am grateful for the faithfulness of God, through Jesus Christ, in my life and I will not stop testifying of His goodness every opportunity I get.