God had been so good and gracious to us, Americans! Despite the disrespect for God and country that we've seen more evidently the past few years, He still hears the cry of those who call and trust in His Name. We are not exempted from natural disasters and devastation but those who rely upon Him could attest to the faithfulness of the Lord in the midst of trials. Those who have Jesus Christ in their hearts (Born-again, John 3:3) find light even in the blackest of night. We call this HOPE! To know that there is a God who love and care for us; that has a plan for every moment of our lives (even through impossibilities); gives us peace and joy even in the midst of pain and suffering. But those who trust in themselves or other men would soon learn the hard lesson that they are limited and powerless to produce peace and joy in very bad situations. Because they don't want to admit they are wrong in trusting in their own abilities, they resort to blaming others and make up this web of lies to not only exempt themselves from accountability but to also poison those who are weak in spirit to participate in their rebellious agenda.
Everyday here in our country, we see a systematic attack on our government and our leader. They (Media, Entertainment, Politicians) cannot do anything to rid of him so quickly so they device a plan to create scenarios, lie about facts and get the wealthy and famous to represent their demonic agenda to influence uninformed masses. They use causes that caters to people's emotions and add their toxic poison (twisted Truth) to make it appear like it's the real deal. Current examples of this is Racism (claiming Police Brutality to Blacks) vs. The Flag, the Anthem (Patriotism/Love for God and country) and the POTUS. Underneath the surface of all the terrible acting of the participants, what the true demonic agenda is to use Race (something many are sensitive about citing the Civil rights movement) to rid us of Reverence for our Country which gives birth to disrespect of our Laws and the men and women who carry out the law. If we don't have respect for our country, we will not care who comes in and out of it---hence, open borders for their One World Agenda. Another example is the use of catastrophic events (hurricanes, floodings, etc) capitalizing on people's suffering vs. The POTUS. They make people think/believe they have Superman or a God for President. But the Truth is, the perpetrators hates our President so much that they discredit all of his efforts by purposely sabotaging, not telling everyone about it or deliberately lying about it. You see, I lived my life for 31 years in the Philippines and catastrophic events are not foreign to me. I lived in a home that floods with hard (during typhoons) to very little rain (when they released water from the Dam). This happens all year long with as many as once or twice a month. We don't have the luxury of having hot or canned meals/food rationed by local/national government. No relocation sites nor financial help to rebuild our homes. Most of the time, it's people helping other people there. We don't really know how blessed we are in this country that we keep complaining about things we suffer from momentarily instead of being thankful for all the blessings we received all of our lives. Instead of calling unto the Lord, we call on men to answer our every needs. It's hard to ignore the examples of the Israelites while in the wilderness when they were freed by God from captivity in Egypt. With all the injustice they endured and seeing the hand of God preserved them (cloud by day and fire by night), they complained about the littlest thing they can find to mock the Almighty who brought them out of slavery. End result, they all died in the wilderness without seeing the Promised Land. Read HERE for more.
Thirdly and the most recent is the use of the heinous Mass Murders vs. the 2nd Amendment Right (The Right to Bear Arms). I unite with many in this nation in condemning the senseless killings that happened in Las Vegas. I'm praying for the Holy Spirit of God to comfort all that lost their love ones in this despicable display of evil. On the other hand, is it ironic that every time somebody goes crazy and kills innocent people, the guns are always under attack? According to them, it's the guns that is responsible for the killings with very little emphasis on the lunacy of them that fired them. The last time I checked, I haven't heard of a gun that took the elevator, positioned itself on a window and fired itself without anyone pulling the trigger. On its own, it didn't have eyes to target people nor the feet and hand to move itself. A man who lived a pretty normal life suddenly snapped (for reason he only knew) and used the guns to commit a heinous crime. What's so curious to me is that these people opposing the 2nd Amendment never cite the great things that those who carry guns responsibly has done to stop many crimes that would have easily turned into a massacre. Read HERE for many examples. Weighing all the facts and the lies, I conclude that it is a demonic agenda. How easy would it be to take over a country when the citizens don't have a way of defending themselves? Remember their goal?---ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT which the Bible warned us to be governed by no other than the ANTI-CHRIST. My point in all of these is that the guns or any weapon does not load themselves and kill people. It is the people that somehow snaps and take weapons with the intent of using them to destroy others. If we disarm everyone and leave the weapons to the authorities, how sure are we that they will not snap and go crazy at one point? My friends, as long as there are human beings in this world without reverence for God and view themselves as their own gods, problems will persist. Even Cain killed Abel with a stone. Take away every weapon that can be used by man, the evil intent in a man's heart can still find a way to harm others. So, for me, instead of taking weapons which can also do good in the hands of God-fearing, responsible individuals, I pray that people would find God and have a change of heart and mind by taking in Godly thoughts (renewing of the mind). Accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and upholding God's Truth. That is the core solution to all of man's madness.
These are just some of the things we are facing in our country today. Daily, I pray for our President, our government, our country and the people of God (Church/The Body of Christ) to rise up and fight for what is right and true. I pray that we search/study the Scripture and refuse to act solely based on our emotions. I have one person unfriend me at FB recently just because I (politely) said something contradicting what she believes in the Puerto Rico hurricane response. Her insulting response caught me by surprise for I thought this individual has a deep understanding of God's Word, meek and slow to anger based on past observation/conversation. I had so much respect for her and she may still have all of that in her but she allowed her emotion to take over and decided she don't want to hear more after just a couple of comments/response from me. It truly saddened me but I also understand that in the last days, things like this are bound to happen as many would not care to hear anything that would offend them. You have to be perfectly on their side of the argument/rhetoric otherwise, you are not their friend. I follow a simple rule in friendship---"We may disagree on many things but as long as both of us can engage in a respectful conversation and not resorting to name calling or cursing each other, we can continue to be friends." I don't think it's too much to ask. Anyway, in these days where wisdom (knowing the right thing to do at a given time/situation) and discernment (the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong) is uncommon, we have to rely on the Scripture to guide us in pursuing wisdom before we act on situations. I would like to share some of these verses to you...
"Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin." (Proverbs 13:3)
"Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions." (Proverbs 18:2)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:17)
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:24-25)
For this Birthday invites, I used an image from Mo Manning Digi Stamps called "Summer Boy." I attached the details to the panel adhered to the envelope and used my We R Memory Keepers Envelope Notcher to seal the envelopes. I used several colored 12 x 12 CS, each divided into four squares to produce the envelopes that measures 3.25 x 4.25 inches when closed. The envelopes were created using my We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board on a 3 x 4 card size setting. I absolutely love it as it made it fun to make each of the envelopes. I also incorporated some washi tape and stapler to decorate the tag. The tag sentiment is from Inkadinkado and the envelope sentiment is from Recollections.
FUN TAG INSERT
FUN TAG BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS
FUN TAG BIRTHDAY INVITATION ENVELOPES
This Project is entered into the following Challenges:
Inky Mess---ATG
Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Girls Creations---ATG
Creative Ladybirds---ATG
Cute as a Button---ATG
DL Art---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
Mix It Up---ATG
YSP---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!
I hear your cry for your country JoAnne - so much eveil reigns in our world today as man has turned away from God.
ReplyDeleteLove your invitation, and the cute image on the tag.
Blessings
Maxine
GOD is quickening those who are ready to be called up into the clouds. It could be anytime, But knowing that GOD wants to fill heaven with His good creation, we need to dot our i's and cross our t's in refilling our oil, and so we must continue to work in converting those we can reach. May the LORD soften their hearts to receive Him.
ReplyDeleteRevelations 13:7 - Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
What a great, colorful and fun invite! A ticket for free admission - very cool!
ReplyDeleteI read about the person who unfriended you - It really bothers me that politics and the constant barrage of current bad news has brought so many of us to such an emotional level. I feel like I am constantly walking on egg shells - so concerned that I will offend someone or provoke someone to key my car simply because we disagree about 2nd amendment issues! I can't agree with you more - we MUST continue to have civil conversations and respect and listen to others views. I have a SIL who is on the EXACT opposite spectrum from me on politics, religion and women's rights - and thank goodness we can continue to exchange our thoughts or I would chance losing my family. That is NOT going to happen - unfriending is one thing, "un-family-ing" would be a whole other level. So I know whereof you speak - hang in there!
~ginny
RubberMAD
What a fabulous ticket, wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing with us over at Mix It Up Challenge Blog! We hope to see you again!
ReplyDeleteSherry x - DT for Mix It Up Challenge Blog
Loose Stitches and Unraveled Threads – My personal Blog
How cute are these invites love them Thank you for sharing with us over here today at the Classic Open Design Team Challenge and best of luck with your entry.
ReplyDeleteMichelle DT Owner/Admin for http://classicdesignteamchallenge.blogspot.com.au/...
Fabulous work Jo Ann xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us over here at "A Perfect Time To Craft" and best of luck with your entry.
Dianne DT for http://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com.au/...
Adorable creation. Thank you for sharing with us over here at Classic Design Team Open Challenge and best of luck with your entry.
ReplyDeleteJane DT for http://classicdesignteamchallenge.blogspot.com.au/...
Such a fabulous idea! These are stunning! Thanks for joining us Mix It Up! Challenge Blog
ReplyDeleteTina dt
Very clever! Beautiful coloring. Thanks for sharing with us at Your Scrapbook Place.
ReplyDeleteLovely invites
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us over here at "A Perfect Time To Craft" and best of luck with your entry.
Anila DT for http://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com.au/...
Love what you've done here!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining us at the Mix It Up challenge blog!
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com