Scripture Series: Unspeakable Gift Card---New Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge Happening at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello, everyone!  Just want to take the opportunity to greet y'all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Though we see a lot of destructive forces that tries to discourage us, those who love the Lord have many things to be thankful about despite the chaos of everyday living.  Our Scripture Word Art, you can download for free at the Word Art Wednesday (WAW) site for this bi-weekly Challenge,  comes from 2 Corinthians 9:15 which tells us, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

Many times, we wait for extraordinary things to happen before we feel grateful.  You see, one obvious characteristic of a disgruntled/discontent person is ungratefulness.  One way or another, we could have harbored such an attitude of have met people who are not satisfied with anything.  You could have given your best to these people, yet they have no appreciation.  They talk negatively about many/all things and even go to the extent of  rubbing others of their attitude.  It would make sense for people that deny God and His Word to act that way for they utterly dismiss the Author/Source of their blessings. But while it is clear as daylight that they are not in control of their existence (even the very air they breathe that is essential for their survival comes from the Lord)---they make a fool of themselves by dismissing God's existence.  Psalm 14:1 clearly states, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good."  So, when I encounter such people (personally or online), I honestly feel concerned!  Though their physical and spiritual blindness upsets me,  it also brings within me a compassion for their souls which moves me to pray that they may know Jesus before it's too late.  True, it's hard to pray for these people especially  when they speak despicable things just because we choose to believe in a Sovereign God. But in reality, they have no idea how blind they truly are! When I accepted God's Truth (reality in God's perspective) and His gift of life, God placed His Holy Spirit inside of me and revealed my desperate need for Christ.  Humbled by what the Lord has done,  I'm able to set aside hatred and allow the Lord to use me as I forgive and pray for them.

Yet lately, I am seeing more believers showing ungratefulness.  They sit with you in the Church and listens to the same message yet live in negativity daily.  I consider them "Yo-yo" Christians.  They are happy for a moment and with the slightest trial, they completely forget their blessings.  They keep on living in the past and would dwell on their old baggage, way of thinking and fails to listen.  I can say that today, I have a better understanding why many of God's people, rescued from their bondage in Egypt, didn't make it to the Promise Land.  Ungrateful people who says they abide by God's Word yet fails to live it are harder to deal with than those who know nothing about the ways of God.  One thing that is true---no one who has truly seen and experienced God in his/her life could dwell in constant negativity/ungratefulness.  My past attest to God's goodness.  My present speaks of His love and faithfulness. My future declares of His glory.   I am grateful for the air I breathe, my beating heart, a functioning mind and body, a warm bed to sleep on, waking up every morning, food on our table, a family that cares and so much more.   I am thankful for every seen and unseen things like the spiritual gifts, talents and abilities He blessed me with.  And yes, I'm also grateful for the trials as in those times when  I am able to see the power,  presence and glory of the Lord at work in my life.  One day, my life will be over and my gratitude will meet its ultimate and unspeakable reward---ETERNAL LIFE in the presence of my Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST!  As my Pastor always remind us students in our Bible class, "The worst day in a believer's life is far better than the very best day in the life of an unbeliever."   Let that sink deep into our spirits that we may never dwell in negativity again.  Leaving you with the following verses to be grateful about...

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"  (Colossians 3:15-17)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory"  (Ephesians 1:3-14)

For this Card, I used an image from Saturated Canary (store closed) called "The King" and colored it using my Touch Five markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  I kept it simple to focus on the Scripture Word Art and how it relates to the image and I am pretty happy with the results.  Aside from fancy and regular stitching, I also added a few nail head gems from Imaginisce and some glitters (Stickles-Crystal). 

 UNSPEAKABLE GIFT CARD

 UNSPEAKABLE GIFT CARD LAYERS

 UNSPEAKABLE GIFT CARD INSIDE

UNSPEAKABLE GIFT CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Artistic Inspirations---ATG
Creative Craft Cottage---ATG
Creative Moments---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
Penny's Paper Crafty---ATG
Polkadoodle---ATG
Crazy Challenge---Christmas
Creative Fingers---ATG
Crafty Addicts---ATG/Christmas Paper
Crafting Musketeers---Christmas Wishes
Crafty Creations---Christmas
Sweet Stampin--- ATG Christmas
Crafting by Designs---Christmas
Little Red Wagon---Sparkle and Shine
A Bit More Time to Craft---ATG
Crafter's Cafe---Christmas
Crafty Awesomeness---ATG
Crafty Purple Frog---Magic of Christmas
Creatalicious---ATG with optional Sentiment
Digistamps4Joy---ATG with optional Christmas
Petal Lu---ATG
Sunsational Stamps---ATG
Sweet Stampers---Christmas


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.  A wonderful prize awaits our winner from our lovely sponsor for this Challenge---Simon Says Stamp ($25 GC).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, meditate on the goodness of the Lord and rely on His promises.  Expect only wonderful things from Him each day.  Be thankful always!

Scripture Series: Come Before His Presence Card---Join us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!ing

Hello everyone.  I apologize for the the delayed post as there's just so many things in my plate this week.  But I am grateful I was able to whip up a card for our new Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) which features a Scripture Word Art that you can download for free at the WAW site.  It comes from Psalm 95:2-3 which says, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."  What a timely scripture considering the hand of God in the affairs of our nation these days.

We all witness the Presidential election from the gruesome eighteen months of campaigning to the final results last Tuesday.  If we are not seeing the mighty hand of God in the results night (Wednesday morn), then I don't know what other signs are we looking for...I came home at about 9:30 Tuesday night not wanting to turn the TV on and hear media reports to avoid emotional stress.  My heart was heavy and I decided to sit on the couch, pray silently and even began dozing.  My son woke me up and asked whether I wanted to watch news on TV.  Reluctantly,  I said okay.   It didn't take that long for me to realize that something miraculous was happening with the results.  All week-long, all I heard was that Hillary Clinton was ahead in the polls (though I seriously doubted the polls due to media bias) but  that was not a reality in the actual election results that night.  Seeing/sensing the hand of God, I continued watching till I heard the official announcement that Trump was the next President of the United States.  And I exclaimed, "Thank you Lord, Glory to Your Name."  

Well, you may think I was a great supporter of Trump.  Uh-oh, not at all!  Senator Ted Cruz left his Republican primary election campaign and my heart sunk.  I mourned---for I knew how difficult it would be to choose when there's really no choice between Clinton nor Trump.  It was emotionally hard but I picked myself up  and  I asked for God's leading all the way to Election Day.  I knew I could not give my vote to Clinton in support of her demonic worldview which directly contradicts the Biblical worldview I hold dear to my heart.  Of all the satanic agenda she 's involved with, she sealed the deal when she declared that "an unborn child has no constitutional right at any time and that she supports Roe vs. Wade to its core and held its position for many years." Video HERE.   Wow, anyone who advocates the murder of the most vulnerable members or our society and disguises the killings of these helpless babies for women's rights will  in no way have any regard for mine and other lives.  If we don't serve her purpose, we are disposable to her.  God is the Life-Giver and He is the Only One who can take that away!  There is no excuse for that barbaric practice in this country as there are many families that would want to care for that baby if the mother only give him/her a chance.  But the Truth is, all their (pro-choice) arguments are just a facade to a demonic agenda of eliminating what they consider "undesirables."  God commanded me to fight for the unborn and I will be a voice for them no matter what.  On the other hand, my greatest issue with Trump is that I couldn't rely on his word.  I am not sure what position he would take from day to day.  But then, I had to look at their Vice Presidential candidates and I am in total support of Mike Pence who is true brother in Christ and a man of God.  So, after much prayer and inquiring of the Lord, I cast my vote! I am grateful that God heard the prayer of His people not only from this nation but from all other countries that showed their concern for America.  He showed His mercy and faithfulness to them that love Him in this country and fulfilled 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  

From where we have fallen from God in this country to the miraculous salvation of the Lord from the horrors of what could have been a Clinton presidency, I have all the more reason to rejoice and to come before the Lord with thanksgiving, rejoicing and singing.  He is indeed King over all kings and nobody can stop His reign.  I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I am destined to reign with Him.  There are no words to express how I appreciate my God.  To the Church, our battle is not over---it's just beginning!  We have to come in full force with faith, prayer and action to fulfill the Great Commission, to pray for our leaders and be productive citizens of our country.  It's not the time to relax but to engage ourselves as fruitful members of our society.  We are to bring the Lord Jesus in all pillars of our society and saturate them with God's power and love. We can do this, in Jesus Name! 

For this Card, I used an image from Mo Manning called "Mummu and Me"  and colored it with my Prismacolor markers.  The base is a pre-cut A7 Kraft card from Paper Studio.  The DP's are from Paper Studio as well.  The scallop oval was die cut using Nestabilities, the leaves were punched out using Fiskars, the layered flowers from Prisma, the bras from Recollections and the glitters are from Stickles (Crystal). Lastly, I stitched all over this card.

 COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE CARD

 COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE CARD SIDE VIEW

 COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE CARD LAYERS

 COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE CARD INSIDE

COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Angie's Digi Stamps---ATG
Lacy Sunshine---ATG
Lil Patch---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Crafty Gals---Use a Sentiment
Crafty Friends---ATG
Digi Choosday---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Simon Says---Thanksgiving
Sunny Day Crafting---ATG
Artistic Inspirations---ATG
Aud Sentiments---ATG with Sentiment
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Southern Girls---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Just Keep On Creating---ATG
Create with TLC---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts and Me---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---ATG with Patterned Paper
Die Cut Divas---Thanks
Digistamps4Joy---ATG
Oddball---ATG
Paper Creator's---ATG
Paradise of Stamps---ATG
Petal Lu---ATG
Pink and Main---Thankful/Gratitude
Worldwide Open DT---ATG
DP2---Anything Mo Goes


Hope you join the fun at our WAW Challenge.  There's wonderful prize awaiting our blessed winner from our awesome sponsor this week, Shoppe 3130 (Prize Package).  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 share unto others the hope you have in Christ.  Hugs! 

With Great Love Card---Join Us for Another Monthly Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello there, Crafty Friends!  I have a couple of cards to show you for our Monthly Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  As always, it's Anything Goes so, there's no excuse for any of you not to join us.  If you want to see the second card I made, you can find it HERE.

Anyway, many of you have already cast your votes on the early voting days of the Presidential election.  If you love this country and the freedom (like no other) our Creator gifted this land, I encourage every God-fearing citizen to continue to pray for our nation.  Let us ask the Lord to establish a Godly leadership in our midst.  Truthfully, unless God intervenes, I don't see any success in all human effort.  The Scripture declares in Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will."  With all the ungodly laws and policies we adapted for many years now when we allowed ungodly men and women to control our government, schools, media and the other segments of our society while limiting ourselves within the walls  of our Churches, we have neglected to bring the voice of God into all these pillars.  Therefore, we are reaping the fruits of our collective tolerance and passivity.  I pray that it's not too late for America---I really do!  Let us come together and call upon the Lord...Psalm 34:17 says, "When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."  Everyone whose trust is in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross is  declared by God righteous before Him.   Romans 3:21-26 tells us, "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."  Our Father in heaven hears every prayer of His children.  From the deepest groaning of our hearts to the prayers we could not even find the words for, He hears all of them!  We may not be in a position of power or influence in the government, politics or even media and entertainment but we have the power given to us by Jesus Christ to summon the power of heaven and change this world through prayer and spirit-led action in accordance to His Word.  Whoever takes office, always remember that our God is still in control!  However, our actions today will determine our fulfillment of God's Great Commission either in freedom or in peril.  I pray the no matter what we end up facing, that we continue to be Ambassadors of Christ to this dying world as we take the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) to those who are meant to be saved---in all boldness, casting out every fear, and faithfully executing everything God prepared for us to do from before time.  You can count on me...Can I count on you?

For my first card for this month's Challenge,  I used an image from one of our sponsors, All Dressed Up Stamps called "Perfect Day."  I used mostly Distress Inks for the background but for the girl in the image, I used my Touch Five markers. I used Liquid Frisket to mask the image after I colored it so I can freely ink the scene.  The base of the card is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The border sentiment comes from Art Warehouse and the smaller sentiments are from Fiskars.  I layered some flowers from Prima and Recollections, the brads from Recollections and the glitters are Stickles (Crystal).  Lastly, I added a bit of stitching to this project.  Now, this is not really how I pictured this card originally.  I did some powder embossing on the image but didn't like the result.  Just as I thought of all the hard work (hours of coloring) that would be put to waste and how I didn't have the time to make another project, God gave me an idea before disposing the image! I cut the part with unwanted embossing, shorten the image, added some stitching and add the flower and sentiments instead.  And I couldn't believe how beautiful it turned out.  And with that, God reminded me again that things we may consider trash can still transform into something very beautiful.  I thought of sharing this with you as I know you also have your share of stories like that in your crafting world.

WITH GREAT LOVE CARD

 WITH GREAT LOVE CARD LAYERS

 WITH GREAT LOVE CARD SIDE VIEW

 WITH GREAT LOVE CARD INSIDE

WITH GREAT LOVE CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Angie's Digi Stamps---ATG
Lacy Sunshine---ATG
Great Impressions---ATG
Lil Patch---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Crafty Friends---ATG
Digi Choosday---ATG
Just Keep On Creating---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
Digistamps4Joy---ATG
Oddball---ATG
Paper Creator's---ATG
Paradise of Stamps---ATG
Petal Lu---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---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 all our  lovely sponsors.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight.  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!  

Cheer Yourself Up Card---My Second Card for our Monthly Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi everyone!  I'm back with my second inspiration card for our Monthly Challenge at 613 Avenue Create. For this Card, I used an image (Cute Critters) and sentiment (Twain Quips) from Doodle Pantry---one of our Challenge sponsors for this month.  I did some paper piecing on the body and feet of the image and colored the rest with my Touch Five markers.  The base is an A7 white card from Paper Studio, the flower stamp is from Martha Stewart that I enjoyed stamping with different inks and fussy-cut and the white brads are from Recollections.  I embossed the background with Cuttlebug folder and machine and lastly, I incorporated some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to add  sparkle to this project.  I was inspired by a card design I saw from Art Impressions.  It was from Sherry Eckblad.  It was simple but so beautifully balance.  I adapted the design and concept and left the image, the sentiment and the flowers to my preference.  I look at it and it just makes me happy.   If you want to see my other card with Scripture and message I shared with every post, you'll find it HERE.   Anyway, hope you enjoy this card as much as I had fun making it. God bless!

 CHEER YOURSELF UP CARD

 CHEER YOURSELF UP CARD LAYERS

 CHEER YOURSELF UP CARD INSIDE

CHEER YOURSELF UP CARD WITH ENVELOPE BOX

This Card is  entered into the following Challenges:

Angie's Digi Stamps---ATG
Lacy Sunshine---ATG
Lil Patch---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Crafty Friends---ATG
Digi Choosday---ATG
Just Keep On Creating---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---ATG with Patterned Paper
Digistamps4Joy---ATG
Digitally Sweet---Animal or Pet
Doodle Pantry---Use a Digi
Oddball---ATG
Paper Creator's---ATG
Paradise of Stamps---ATG
Petal Lu---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---ATG 


This it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge. There's really no reason for you to miss it.  Lots of lovely prizes awaiting our winners from our generous sponsors.  Can't wait to see what you create. The Lord is with His children every step of the way so, be at peace knowing that we have placed our trust in the Rock of all ages---Jesus Christ!