A Day to Remember Watercolor Card and Gift Box Set---Join Us for Another Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello there, everyone!  So sorry for another late post as this month is super hectic for me starting from a couple of weeks ago when we have birthdays to celebrate.  And then comes Harvest Festivals and Conferences in the Church also.  Anyway, as the season changes, we can also see lots of things taking place when it comes to the prophetic timeline of God's Word.   Now, more than ever, I would say that Jesus is coming very soon.  There are three things to watch for that are game changers when it comes to fulfillment of God's Word. They are Israel, the World and the Church (The "Called-Out" ones, nothing to do with religion).  Let us spend time studying God's Word that we may be able to discern what  is going on around us.  There are many people who have been deceived by what seemed to be legitimate teachings that had been twisted and perverted.  It is very important that we remain grounded in the Word and to not allow our own thoughts, reasoning and experiences to trump what the Lord says in His Word.  As Born-again Christians (John 3:3), we are to develop a habit of seeking God's Word when we hear anyone deliver a message.  It doesn't matter whether they are popular, the coolest teachers/speakers in the planet or it could be one or several of your well-loved Pastors in your Church.  NO ONE IS ABOVE GOD'S WORD!  God has warned us about false teachers even among us in 2 Peter 2:1-3 which says, "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."  

In my daily walk with God, I am grateful for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that guides me to all Truth.  He has quicken my spirit as I listen to the teaching of the Word and caused me to not only swallow but chew on their messages.  I don't know how to completely describe or explain it but He prompts me to put my spiritual guard when something spoken was a bit strange.  Errors need not be huge but it can be subtle things when added to the Truth that changes the context of God's Word.  It could also be a case of an impure motive.  Now, I am not saying that I just simply lose confidence on people but I take what they said and do my research at home.  I must admit that there are also teachings that I'm unfamiliar with that needed to be proven before I allow them to shape my thoughts and influence my action.  A teacher in my Bible class told us many times (something I will never forget) that we don't need to be dogmatic on something if there's not enough evidence or account in Scripture about a certain subject matter.  Now, there are many theories that Bible scholars or theologians have put together to explain something but in reality, most of them would fall under intelligent guess.  Many times, we argue about little things that cause division among us for something that does not even involve our salvation/redemption.  Yet there are absolute teachings that God's Word  explained/emphasized in great lengths and are the foundations of our faith. We have to be very careful nowadays as to what we allow ourselves to see and hear!  

Truthfully, what I notice these days are the rampant idolizing of people not only in the world scene but also in the Church.  It is not wrong to admire people but if we make them our authority and just agree to everything they do or say without making them accountable to the Word, then we are subjecting ourselves to destruction.  Everyone who works in the Church (those that are on stage and backstage) are there to serve God and to serve one another.  No one is above the other!  Matthew 23:11-12 says, "The greatest among you will be your servant.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  We are to revere one another according to the ministry God entrusted us.  The Pastors are to take care of the flock and we should respect them for the office they were given. But we must also respect those who clean the bathrooms and maintain our Church as they are also faithfully performing the task God assigned to them.  People can easily be taken by positions, popularity, prestige and so on.  But let us remember that in anything and everything we do, we are called to serve and not to be served.  This is what should distinguish us from the world---our love for God and our love for one another! To desire positions and titles and the best seat in the house of God with an ill motive to advance oneself over another and to acquire power in order to be served is a  deadly trap we should not allow ourselves to fall  into.   Just want to share the following verses to help us understand our need to test every spirit that is presented to us.  As we watch over the things that the world is trying to influence us with, we also need to watch over the ones inside the faith for we are living in critical times.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."  (1 John 4:1-3)

"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people." (Romans 16:17-18)

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" (Galatians 1:6-9)

So, we have another Anything Goes Challenge this week at 613 Avenue Create with an optional Twist of "Use the Color Sapphire."  I made this project for my MIL that celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago.  I used an image from Stampendous called "Ranunculus Field" and water-colored it with Distress Inks. This was one of the first images that I colored after watching a few videos on water-coloring.  After the image was dry, I kept it in between a book so as to eliminate any warping.  Then, I forgot about it till the day I needed to make a birthday card and a box to hold the jewelry.  I was amazed how it came out perfectly on the design that I had in mind.  I see it as God reserving the image for me for the perfect project.  Anyway, the base is Kraft, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from Paper Studio and American Crafts.  The outside sentiment is from Cloud 9 Design and the Birthday sentiment is from Printworks.  I made a coordinating box for the Jewelry Set (necklace, bracelet and earring) that my hubby made for his Mom.  The base of the box is Kraft and measures 3" x 8" and 1 inch high.  I decorated it with the same papers, stamps and sentiments as the card and finally comes the stitching.  I am very happy with how this set came out.

A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

 A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR CARD LAYERS...

 A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR CARD INSIDE:

 A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR JEWELRY BOX:

A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR JEWELRY BOX INSIDE:

COMPLETE ELEGANT SET MADE BY MY HUBBY:

A DAY TO REMEMBER WATERCOLOR CARD AND GIFT BOX SET:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafting for all Seasons---Layer It Up
Inky Impressions---Dots and/or Stripes
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Paper Shelter---Birthday Card with Sentiment
Crafty Addicts---Spots and Stripes/ATG
Whimsy Inspiration---ATG
Wonderful Wednesday---Circles
Sweet Stamps---ATG
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Make my Monday---Autumn
Not Just Cards---ATG
OLLCB---Let's Get Crafty
Simon Says---Ombre
Where the Heart Is---Add Some Text
Eclectic Ellapu---ATG
OSAAT---ATG with Leaves
Penny Black---ATG
Stamping Sensations---Sew Special

There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create with an optional twist.  There's wonderful prizes awaiting the winners from our lovely sponsors for this week---Flat Friends Boutique and RSD Image .  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight this week.  I hope you have a wonderful week and know that through faith in what Jesus accomplished through the Cross, we have complete victory over whatever life may throw at us!  Thank you Lord...