Scripture Series: Serve Him in Truth Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Aet Wednesday!

Hello everyone.  It's Christmas Eve and I would like to greet you all a VERY MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!  This is quite a late post of this card I made for our Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) that is currently going on.  What can I say?  It's just a crazy busy December for me.  Head on over our WAW site to avail of the free Scripture Word Art that I used in my featured card here.  It comes from 1 Samuel 12:24 which says, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.”  I love what my Life Application Bible shared about this verse which says, "This is the second time in his farewell speech that Samuel reminded the people to take time to consider what great things God has done for them (1 Samuel 12:7).  Taking time for reflection allows us to focus our attention upon God's goodness and strengthens our faith.  Sometimes we are so progressed---and future oriented that we fail to take the time to recall all that God has already done.   Remember what God has done for you so that you may move ahead with gratitude. 

CHRISTMAS is truly my most happiest time of the year.  I have fond memories to look back to during this season.  It's not filled with parties and big celebrations but intimate moments with friends and family where we are all awake on Christmas eve, sharing the wonderful blessing that Christ's birth brings to us all.  Though I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) during my growing up years nor was I adept in His Word, something in me knew what a glorious day it was compared to many other celebrations.  After coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, now more than ever, I can fully rejoice in what His birth meant for me personally.  Next to the Resurrection,  I often celebrate this time with "tears of joy" knowing that two thousand years ago, He came to this earth to die for me and all of humankind.  He was and always will be the "greatest gift" that's available for anyone who chooses to receive Him.  It doesn't matter where you are and your status in life---He has the GIFT of Life---ETERNAL LIFE! But like any other gift that is given, IT CAN ONLY BE YOURS IF YOU CLAIM IT.  Recently,  I've seen a movie about a Pastor that preaches the truth of God's Word till deception entered his life that brought him to believe that Salvation included everyone even in the absence of receiving Christ as one's Lord and Savior. He strongly preaches against Hell and questions the judgment of God.  He has problems reconciling the truth that while God loves, He is also holy and could not tolerate Sin.  The question I have for him is this: For if Almighty God only operates in love, why must he sent Jesus, His One and Only Son,  to die on the Cross to redeem mankind? Why was there a need for redemption if God can do away with the consequences of Sin?  At the Cross, the heart of God is in full display.  Man's Sin needed to be paid by no less than a holy Man (non-existent) so He sent His One and Only Son (A Holy God), to be clothe in flesh as a Man.  This hundred percent God and hundred percent Man in the person of Jesus Christ bore the sins of mankind so that the judgment of God can be carried out and totally satisfied by a qualified/perfect Lamb.  In essence, God sent Himself to atone for His own wrath and judgment against mankind's Sin.  In His death and resurrection, the LOVE and JUST ways of God was fully satisfied! Nobody should promote God's love apart from His just ways like that Pastor did.  As I was watching, I was routing for him to repent but it never came.  Sadly to this day, he is still deceive and deceiving others with the heresy.  It just goes to say that it doesn't matter how long, successful and famous a preacher is, we should not depend on them to study God's Word on our behalf.  We should always check the validity of their teaching by studying God's Word ourselves. When I hear someone preach, I listen while chewing every doctrine presented to me.  If it's sound and in accordance to the Word, I let it settle in.  Those that are questionable, I take note and study and those that are false, I discard.  If I have the chance, I would bring my concern to the preacher and allow him to defend his position.  What I wish to convey here is that we need to know the genuine in order to spot the fake.  The Word of God is Truth and if we value and study it day and night and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us to His Truth, He is going to lead us to all Truth.  His Word transcends how we feel of even think.  So many times, we fall into the trap when we exalt our feelings above God's Word.  In short, we place God in our level of thinking instead of conforming to what God tells us in His Word.  Our human nature (self) is our own worst enemy.  Each day we have to contend with it and put it in check by subjecting it with the daily dose of God's Word.  The Word of God is our standard---accept nothing less!

On a side note, is it just me or some of you notice that more traditional Christmas music (that capitalizes on the birth of Christ) are playing as background music in stores this year?  People greets me back with a Merry Christmas in stores and restaurants too.  I love it! I am grateful to the Lord for giving us a leader in the White House that respects the Lord and our Judeo-Christian values.  Like all of us, President Trump is not perfect but he sure does love this country and our people.  And that folks is something to be thankful for.  

For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions called "Bench Set" and colored it using my Kimberley watercolor pencils.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from Pebbles, the nail head gems is from Imaginisce and the glitters are from Stickles (Crystal).  I also used image from WPlus9 of the Doodlebuds Set.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card. 

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD LAYERS

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD INSIDE

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD WITH AN ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Createful Heart---ATG
Creative Sketchy Girls---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---ATG

I hope you'd take the time to join us at our WAW Challenge.  It's Anything Goes as long as it's family friendly with uplifting and inspirational messages, you can link up to 5 projects per week.  I can't wait to see your projects  and leave some encouragement on your Blogs.  Though the world is surrounded by darkness, let your faith in Jesus Christ shine like a beacon on a hill. Demonstrate the love of God to everyone you meet.  Spread the true meaning of this season saying MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and a BLESSED NEW YEAR.

Scripture Series: Child of the Holy Ghost Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi there, everyone!  A few days ago, we started another Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) as we feature another great Scripture Word Art (free for you to download at the WAW site). It comes from Matthew 1:18 which says, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

I read what my Life Application Bible shared regarding our highlighted verse and would like to share it with you first.  It says, "A Jewish marriage involved three basic steps.  First, the two families agreed to the union.  Second, a public announcement was made.  At this point, the couple was "pledged."  This was similar to engagement today except that their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce (even though sexual relations were not yet permitted).  Third, the couple was married and began living together.  Because Mary and Joseph were engaged, Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a severe social stigma.  According to Jewish civil law, Joseph had a right to divorce her, and the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).  Why is the virgin birth important to the Christian faith?  Jesus Christ, God's Son, had to be free from the "Sinful Nature" passed on to all human beings by Adam.  Because Jesus was born of a woman, He was a human being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without a trace of human Sin.  Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that He fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Because He is God, He has the power and authority to deliver us from Sin (Colossians 2:13-15).  We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings and needs.  He has been where we are now, and He has the ability to help.   

Throughout history, we can attest to how God Almighty fulfilled His promises.  These promises are contained in His written Word that people from one generation to another carefully studied, meditated and passed on.  We are blessed to live at this time where we have the entire revelation of the Scripture with the account of  the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) and what it meant to the Body of Christ (Church) and His chosen people to guide us in our journey.  I love this illustration from my Pastor's teaching many weeks ago of how the Old Testament and New Testament relates to us as a whole in which he pointed,  "The New is in the Old contained and the Old is in the New explained.  The New in the Old concealed and the Old is in the New revealed." Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Bible and was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.  God announced the coming of Jesus to this world right after the Fall of Man (Adam's disobedience) as early as Genesis 3:15 in which God spoke to Satan/serpent. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” From then on, Satan tried to prevent the prophesied Messiah from being born.  From corrupting the make up of humankind (Nephilim) in Genesis 6 which ushered the great flood  that wiped all the inhabitants of the earth except Noah and his family all the way to the time when Jesus was born when King Herod the Great commanded for all male children to be killed from the ages two and younger (Massacre of the Innocents), he tried his best to eliminate the "Seed of the woman." I don't know with you but I'm appalled by the audacity of Satan to think that he can outsmart God, his Creator!  Understanding that God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), God already laid out solutions before problems occur.  God had/has a plan and though He allowed/allows the twist and turn of events, His plan always prevailed/prevails.  

Mary was the chosen vessel to carry the Messiah---conceived NOT of mortal man stained by Adam's Sin but by the Holy Spirit which made Him pure and holy.  God did not discount the laws, customs and traditions of that time to safely bring Jesus to this world.  He sent His angels both to Mary and Joseph to give them a glimpse of His divine plan and they willingly gave themselves to the plan of God.  This just tells us that when God assigns us to do something for His purpose, He arranges our coming in and going out.  Sure, we would have difficulties, mixed emotions, times of fear and uncertainty but knowing that God would always come through for us should propel us to keep obeying.  From Nazareth where they lived, Joseph and the pregnant Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to fulfill what the government mandated them to do, that is for census/taxation purposes.  The Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, whose purpose is to govern Roman territories didn't have a clue that his decree was instrumental in fulfilling the prophecy written about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem.  How cool is that?  This brings me to a greater understanding that as believers, we are to be active in every affairs of the world, our nation, our state and our community.  We are to be an integral part of our society for they truly affect our lives.  Let us not leave our government in the hands of the ungodly for they will hunt to destroy us the moment they take power.  Nevertheless, all authorities in this world are subjected to God.  So if were trapped in an oppressive leadership, we are to pray, keep the faith and act in accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The separation of Church and State as liberals/progressives define it is a hoax.  We are called to be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13).  We are called to righteous leadership so that we can live in a peace and order.  Beloved, the change must come from the Body of Christ (Church) first.  Don't ever say, there's nothing you can do?  Each of us has a sphere of influence, great or small, and we can start with what we have.  Be bold knowing that our labor birthed in obedience to God is never in vain.  Like Joseph and Mary, we are here for a purpose---that is to glorify that One who came to save us!

For this Card, I used an image from Saturated Canary named "May" and colored it using my ProMarker markers.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP is from DCWV and the nail head gems from Imaginisce.  The Scripture is computer generated and for the clouds, I used my own cloud stencil to create the background.  I added a bit of glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to the butterfly and stitched all over this creation.  Simply beautiful.

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD LAYERS

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD INSIDE

CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Christmas/Birthday
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
DL Art---Christmas
Happy Craft---ATG/Christmas Flowers
LeAnn's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
MLCCB---Christmas
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Sognando---ATG
YSP---ATG


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 each week.  An adhesive package awaits our winner from our lovely sponsor for this Challenge---Stix 2 Anything.  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.  We are part of His plan in this world.

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CAS Series: Single Layer Birthday Note Cards---Join us for this month's Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi there, Crafty Peeps!  Nearly a week ago, we started our monthly Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create with the optional theme of "Doodling or Zentangle Art."  I would like to show you the Birthday card that I  made for our Challenge below.

Wow, it's already December and for many (including me), it's the happiest time of the year.  In the midst of this busy season, one thing is constant and never changes and that is my understanding on why I celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I remember my Pastor quoted these words when he preached last Sunday that says, "All the babies in this world are born to live but only one was born to die." That truly touched my heart!  Jesus came to this world fully aware of the horrendous death awaiting Him in the hands of sinful mankind He purposed to save.  So, I am not going to be dogmatic about the exact day, month or year the Savior of the world came.  The  very reason for my celebration is because He actually came to give hope and life to mankind.  We're living in these days that seemed more and more hostile to God's Word in utter rejection of God and the Body of Christ (Church), it's easy to be swayed by the message of the world that centers on the demonic agenda of "do what thou wilt."  It disguises itself as "love" but in a perverted kind of way.  I say this because "true love" (Agape) is not self-centered, perfectly demonstrated to us by Jesus when He bore all our sin, nailed it at the Cross to redeem everyone who would believe and receive (Born-again, John 3:3) what He has done on our behalf.  Perverted love capitalizes on what the person receives rather than what he/she can give.  Think of this for a moment, each of us are condemned, vanished from the presence of God for all eternity because we all came from one man, Adam, and we inherited from him what he got from Satan after he disobeyed God---the Sin Nature!  From this vile nature comes all acts of sin which none of us in our own effort could ever break free from.  This was our situation, this was our fate---till the Lord Jesus came and provided us a way out.  Before the New Testament was ever written, the Old Testament prophets have been given a glimpse of the coming Messiah although they did not fully comprehend the blessed mystery (meaning) of what they were writing at that time. Isaiah 53:4-6 tells us about this coming Savior, "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all."  I would like to share the exhortation my Life Application Bible shared about these verses.  It says, "How could an Old Testament person understand the idea of Christ dying for our sins (our transgressions and iniquities)---actually bearing the punishment that we deserved?  The sacrifices suggested this idea, but it is one thing to kill a lamb, and something quite different to think of God's chosen servant as that Lamb.  But God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah's day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all mankind.  Isaiah speaks of Israel straying from God and compared them to wandering sheep.  Yet God would send the Messiah to bring them back into the fold.  We have the hindsight to see and know the identity of the promised Messiah who has come and died for our sins.  But if we can see all that Jesus did and still reject Him, our sin is much greater than that of ancient Israelites who could not see what we have seen.  Have you given your life to Jesus Christ, the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:11-16) or are you still going your own way like a wandering sheep?"  Wow, what a powerful truth that we have to ponder on today.  From the beginning of time till it's end, Jesus was, is and still the hope of this world.  Every wonderful gift you receive this season will in no way compare to the true value of the gift of love and mercy given to us by God's One and Only Son.  He's the Gift that keeps on giving throughout eternity. 

For this 3 inches square Note Cards, I used 2 different stamp set namely "Birthday Brackets" and "Cupcake Numbers" from Stampendous Stamps.  I stamped them with different Memento Inks and added some washi tapes from Tape Works.  The mini card base is from Studio G that came with envelopes. The sentiment stamped on each envelope comes from Studio G as well.

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARDS

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 1

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 2

SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 3

This project is entered into the following Challenges:

Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Christmas/Birthday
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
DL Art---ATG
Happy Craft---ATG/Christmas Flowers
LeAnn's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Sognando---ATG
YSP---ATG

There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to link with us.  I hope you have a great week and know that through faith in what Jesus accomplished at the Cross, we have complete victory over the works and schemes of the enemy!  Let us share this hope to countless others in the world this Christmas season.

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Scripture Series: Bountifully Unto Him Card---Join our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi everyone!  Happy Thanksgiving week to all of you here in the Blogging world.  So sorry for another late post. Last Wednesday, we started another bi-weekly Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  As always, you can join us with an inspirational project or use our Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) and let it inspire you to create---just like I did in the card sample below.  Our Scripture Word Art for this Challenge comes from Psalm 100:4 which says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

There's so many things to be grateful about in this life.  First, we need to acknowledge that we are in this world because God created us in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  Unlike His other creation which demonstrates His power for when He spoke, they came to be, He formed mankind with His own hands and He breathe unto us (from the inside of Him) the breath of life.  That breath is filled with life and everything that is good.  But we know what happened when Adam formed an alliance with the devil when he disobeyed God.  The pure and holy life that God gave us became  contaminated with Sin which brings forth death.  But Jesus came to save and redeem us from our bondage with Satan and brought us back to the glorious presence of our Creator.  This is true for everyone that placed their faith (Born-Again, John 3:3) in God's One and Only appointed Savior---Jesus Christ!  And though we live in this fallen world with people who are steep in their rebellion of God, we are under the care and protection of our Father who gave us a task of sharing the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) to anyone willing to listen so that they too can be saved from eternal death (eternal separation from God) where everything good does not exist.  A place of constant torment for Satan and everyone that followed his ways. 

Believers in the Lord Jesus are not spared from the everyday trials of this life for in going through them, we are learning to rule over our own selfish nature and to completely rely in the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to do the things Our Father in heaven purposed us to do. When we yield to God's Word, He changes us from within till we are conformed to the image of our Savior.  On our own efforts, we would be powerless!  So, this season of Thanksgiving here in America, we have to remember the wonderful things that God accomplished in our lives---both in trials and blessings.  Things that we often forget to be thankful for like---every breath, each waking moment, health and functioning body, sound mind, we need to give thanks!  Even in times of testing, when we take the focus off ourselves and look at things from a different angle, you'll find that there's still more things to be grateful about each day.  For even in our last breath, believers who put God first in this lifetime have eternal life in the arms of the Lord. No words could ever describe how glorious that day would be for us that love God when we finally see things the way God sees it.  In Christ, we never lose! So, every time I meet up with other believers to corporately worship and sing praises for the Lord, I am eagerly excited to sing, dance, jump, shout with all my might because I always have in me His very presence---a testimony of His goodness that no trial or suffering can ever take away. Others may perceive that my life is pretty easy and I am glad that's what they see.  In reality, I have many concerns but I don't let them dictate my worship.  Why should I  when I know that when I entrust everything to the Lord, He takes care of my every need.  That gives me peace, joy and confidence no matter what.  

Anyway, I would like to share what  my Life  Application Bible  shared  with regards to  our highlighted verse and Psalm 100 in general.  It says, "David tells us to acknowledge that the Lord is God!  How can we do that?  We acknowledge Him when we shout our praises, appreciate His status  as  our Creator, accept His authority in every detail of life, enthusiastically agree with the guidance He gives us, and express our thanks for His unfailing love.  God is our Creator; we did not create ourselves.  Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world.  This mindset leads to pride, greed, idolatry, and if everything should be taken away, a loss  of hope itself.  But when we realize that God created us and gives us all we have, we will want to give to others as God gave to us (2 Corinthians 9:8).  Then, if all is lost,  we still have God and all He gives us.  God alone is worthy of  being worshiped.  What is your attitude toward worship?  Do you willingly and joyfully come into God's presence, or are you just going through the motions, reluctantly going to Church? Psalm 100 tells us to remember God's goodness and dependability, and then to worship with thanksgiving and praise!

For this Card, I used Heidi Grace Die Cuts to decorate and printed our Scripture Word Art on it.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make a 4.5 x 7 inches card.  I also added some Imaginisce nail head gems and some stitching.  I also have to make an envelope using a DP from Paper Studio.  I really wanted a quick card so, I'm glad I was able to accomplish it and it looks fab. 

 BE THANKFUL UNTO HIM CARD

 BE THANKFUL UNTO HIM CARD INSIDE

BE THANKFUL UNTO HIM CARD WITH ENVELOPE

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty---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 each week) for more chances to win our prize from our sponsor this week---Avery Elle ($25 GC). Okay guys, let us remember to count all our blessings and give glory to the Lord always in season and out of season. He is worthy to be praised!  I would like to share the video I took of our Praise and Worship at Church last Sunday and so grateful to the Lord that I was one of the ministers He used to escort people to His presence.  All glory to His Name.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

Scripture Series: Bountifully with Me Card---Join Us for Another Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi, Crafty Peeps!  I was on a bit of break from the Blogging world as I go through the busy months.  I'm part of a group in my Church that create crafts to sell so we can provide boots for orphans overseas and blessings to a nursing home in our city.  I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me to be part of every project as we use the talents God has given us to serve others.  These days, I crochet more so, I have a lot of projects to share that I hope I can feature here soon in spite of the hectic sched.  Today, I am sharing the card I made a few days ago for our Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  As always, we feature as Scripture Word Art (you can download free at the WAW site) that you can use for your projects and you can also link to our Challenge for a chance to win some wonderful prizes from our sponsor.  Our text comes from Psalm 13:6 which says, "I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me."

If we read the six verses in Psalm 13, we will understand better the meaning of our text today.  David trusted God wholeheartedly even from before the time he faced Goliath, to the time He became a king and even to the time he repented from all the sins he committed in secret, we read of his intimate relationship with our Creator.  During his reign, there were many wars the people of God had to face and in those moments of trials and uncertainties, they needed to patiently wait on the Lord and trust that He heard and would come through for them.  Oftentimes, we start trusting God but as the pressure of our problems starts to pile up, we begin to doubt if God will ever come to our rescue.  Our invited preacher in the Church yesterday gave us a wonderful truth to meditate on in which he said, "The greater the trial/testing, the better the product!" When we buy things whether it be for necessity or luxury, we always get feedback/reviews from others who tried the product.  We don't foolishly buy a product costing thousands of dollars based on one person's review.  The more reviews we get, the confident we are to trust its quality.  But we can argue that products don't have feelings/emotions like us human beings. True, but these earthly products neither have soul (mind, will and emotions) nor a spirit (conscience, intuition, communion), unlike us human beings that were created in the image and likeness of our Maker.  God gave us the free-will to choose to trust or not to trust, to hold on or to give in/up, to choose to love Him or continue to rebel against Him.  Each of the trials He allows in our lives is designed to test our faith, strength and our character.  When we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (John 3:3, Born-Again), He placed inside of us his Holy Spirit.  I love what Gotquestions.org shared about this topic which tells us, "Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever” (John 14:16). The Greek word translated here “Counselor” means “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us."  (Read more about this HERE)

I submit to you that everything Jesus Christ did in his ministry are not impossible for us to do because we literally have His presence inside of us directing us to fulfill the purpose He prepared for us to accomplish in this world.  When we allowed Him to rule and reign and use us as vessels---a "living sacrifice" for whatever use He may assign us to, we gave Him full authority over our body, soul and spirit.  A dead sacrifice couldn't make anymore decisions for it lost its ability to function.  Yet, we are called to be a "living sacrifice" which still has the ability to choose but willingly chooses the things of God over our own selfish desires.  And I'm fully aware, this is not easy!  Without the presence of God inside of us, this is not possible.  The Sin Nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve at the Fall of Man places us on the default setting of rebelling against God.  Unless we die from that fallen state by being born-again through the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ while here on earth, there is no hope for salvation anywhere else.

So for us who surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, are we spared from the reality of intense trial and suffering?  Of course not!  In fact, we would go through a hardcore test of obedience, patience, trust/reliance upon the promises of God to determine the quality of our service.  God answers to His Word and we need to etched and keep His promises inside our hearts for it is also our weapon against the fiery darts of the enemy.  Every trial we overcome through the power of  the Cross  and the Word of God makes us strong and causes us to be steadfast in our walk with God.  Always remember, God is not in the business of satisfying our emotions.  His concern is in the development of our character!  So, whether we like it or not, testing would follow us anywhere we go but instead of thinking of it negatively, think of it as another step to witness the power of God exclusively working in us.  As we see the mighty hand of the Lord in our circumstances, our common response is that of singing, dancing and rejoicing for we serve the One and Only true God who is faithful forever and has done wonderful things in our lives!  Glory be to God.

Just a side note, let us all unite together TO PRAY for our POTUS, Donald Trump, who is viciously being attacked by the Satanic, Socialist, Communist and Globalists minions aided by the Fake News and Social Media seeking to remove him from office to undermine the 2016 decision of God and freedom-loving Americans.  My confidence is in the Lord and that He is in control as He protects His chosen leader from the wiles of the enemy that never cease to destroy the Godly heritage of our nation.  Join me in invoking and declaring the work of the Lord in this nation as no weapon formed against this country shall prosper, in Jesus' Name!  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

For this  Card, I used an image from Art Impressions called "Perfect Duet Set" that I colored using my Prismacolor and Hobby Colour markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  I used some Washi Tape from Recollections layered some flowers from Prima and attached a brad and butterflies, both from Recollections as well.  I also punched some leaves using Fiskars punch. used some Liquid Pearls (Platinum Pearl) and some glitters from Stickles (Crystal).  Lastly, I stitched all over this card.

 BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME CARD

 BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME CARD LAYERS

 BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME CARD INSIDE

BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Gem of a Challenge---ATG
Catch the Bug---Thankful
Crafter's Castle---ATG
Crafty Friends---ATG
Addicted to Stamps---ATG
Dare 2B Artzy---Be Thankful
Lil' Patch---ATG
Corrosive---ATG
Get Creative---ATG/Holidays
Jan's Digi---ATG
PIP---ATG
Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Country View---Handstamped
Craft-Dee---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Le Ann's---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Thank you
Love to Craft---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
MIU---ATG/Watercoloring
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
YSP---ATG

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 submit up to 5 entries per week.  Our wonderful sponsor for this week is  The Project Bin giving away a $15 GC. So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the Spirit of the Lord inspire and lead you today. God will turn your impossibilities to possibilities as you place your complete trust in Him.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

Scripture Series: Beautiful are the Feet of Them Easel Encouragement Drawer---Come and Join our Bi-Weekly Challenge Happening at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello there, Crafty Peeps!  We started another Bi-Weekly Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) a few days ago and as always, we feature a Scripture Word Art that is free for you to download from the WAW site.  It comes from Romans 10:15 which says, "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Wow, such a wonderful verse that emphasizes how important for us that tasted God's grace, mercy and goodness to share to others the free gift He has given us through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  I want to impart to you what my Life Application Bible shared surrounding our featured verse as it truly blessed me.  It says, "Have you ever been asked, "How do I become a Christian?"  Romans 10:8-15 gives you the beautiful answer---salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart.  People think it must be a complicated process, but it is not.  if we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved.  In telling others about Christ, an effective witness must include more than being a good example.  Eventually, we will have  to explain the content, the what and the how of the gospel.  Modeling the Christian life is important, but we will need to connect the mind of the unbeliever and the message of the gospel.  There should never be a debate between those who favor lifestyle evangelism (one's living proclaims the gospel) and confrontational evangelism (declaring the message).  Both should be used together in promoting the gospel. We must take God's great message of salvation to others so that they can respond to the Good News.  How will your loved ones and neighbors hear it unless someone tells them? Is God calling you to take a part in making His message known in your community?  Think of one person who needs to hear the Good News, and think of something you can do to help him or her hear it.  Then take that step as soon as possible. 

It was only a few days ago when my family talked about what is truly important in this life.  In all honesty, I told them that the material things are no longer the focus of my life.  I learned to be thankful for everything God provided us.  We pray for a home of our own, windows of opportunity for work to pay our obligations and put food on our table and to be ready for every opportunity that God would lead us to do. It amazes me how flashy things and self-promotion no longer appeals to me.  We were in a restaurant and was reflecting on what we observed many people are too consumed for in this life. Many of them are too concerned with things that only matters in this world.  I've known a couple who owns a Chinese restaurant for many years and they were there daily from 9 am till 10 pm.  The restaurant was their entire life!  On few occasions, I had the chance to talk with the wife and found out that their two daughters were both on their way to becoming doctors.  I was truly impressed and was glad that their hard work paid off in the lives/careers of their children.  But I also found out that they didn't enjoy a lot of quality time together, not even a time to go out as a family or to enjoy a date night as a couple because they were literally in their restaurant daily.  I sensed that she was sad that they didn't have the time to bond as a family---years that can never be regained.  They have all the luxury money can buy, their whole world revolved around their business and nothing else. Sad to say but many of us live that way just trying to make our family and ourselves better in our own little bubble.  And I said to myself, if a person dies in that state, none of the treasures they stored here will ever be good in the next life.  

And my heart felt the burden for the youth of our generation---the supposed to be hope of tomorrow!  Many are addicted to gaming, partying, drinking, experimenting on harmful stuff and all kinds of addiction.  And some are chasing fame and are willing to trade their souls for notoriety. They have allowed themselves to be enslaved by a worldly mindset that deceived them to the point of self-destruction and rebellion.  If the Body of Christ (Church) refuse to open our mouths to introduce these lost souls to JESUS---the Only Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), how would they escape the eternal death (eternal separation)  that awaits those who rejected God's gift of salvation?  Yes, they may call us names or mock us for sharing the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ).  They may even hurt us physically or unfriend us along the way because we  carry the name of our Lord.  But I beseech you to never tire of sharing the Gospel and interceding for the lost sheep that God placed in our lives.  Let us be sensitive to the prodding of the Holy Spirit when He wants us to say or do something.  Not everyone are called to preach on the street or approach total strangers to share the Gospel but we can also share the hope we have in us through relationships---our conduct, demeanor and what comes out of our mouths.  Are thanksgiving, grace, the love of/for God part of  your daily existence?  Do you have a treasure of God's Word and promises in your heart that you can freely give when situations call for it?  When you truly love God, you can't help but share that love to others---planned or unplanned!  And if you truly love people, you will not allow them to live in darkness when you can show them the light.  Here are some Scripture passages that will encourage us to continue sharing the Gospel...

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (Romans 1:16-20)

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."  (James 5:19-20)

For this Easel Card/Drawer, I used an image from Stamping Bella called "Uptown Girl Sunny is Stylish" which I watercolored using my Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  The base are Kraft CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 x 6 inches easel design.  The DP's are from Paper Studiom, the flowers and brads from Recollections, the button  from Heidi Grace and the ribbon from my stash.  The border punched used is from MS Punch, the lacy oval die is from Nestabilities, the leaves punched with Fiskars punch and the glitters added from Stickles (Crystal).  I stamped all the other verses in the drawer using Stamp Simply Clear Stamps from the set called, "Farmhouse Scriptural Thoughs"  and placed a Velcro  at the back of each panel so they can be interchanged.  Lastly, I stitched all over this creation for added dimension.  So happy with the way this turned out.

 BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM EASEL DRAWER

 BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM EASEL DRAWER WHEN CLOSED

 BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM EASEL DRAWER SIDE VIEW

 BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM EASEL DRAWER WITH POST-IT AND VERSES

BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM EASEL DRAWER 

WITH INTERCHANGEABLE VERSES

This Project is entered into the following Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Happy Craft---ATG
HLS---ATG with Dies
LeAnn's---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Colors of Fall
Color Create Show It Off---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
MIU---ATG/Open Technique (Easel)
Score-Pal---More than One Score/ATG/Fall
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
YSBP---ATG


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 ten times in two weeks.  A great prize awaits our winner from our wonderful sponsor---Stamp Simply Store (Clear Stamps and/or Die Cuts) .  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, meditate on the goodness of the Lord and share the hope you have to someone whom God placed in your path/heart before it's too late.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

CAS Series: The Sweet Life Birthday Card---Join our Anything Goes Challenge this October at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi there, everyone!  We have a brand new Challenge happening this entire month at 613 Avenue Create!  As always, it's Anything Goes with optional theme of  "Spotlight Technique."

Life has never been this busy for me.  Because of this, I definitely have less time to go on social media sites like I used to.  But on the few hours I am able to, I just can't find anything positive to read from the headlines featured by these popular social media sites.  Google, Facebook, Yahoo among others, have denied media bias yet every time I stumbled upon their featured stories, they are 99% full of news that maligns our 45th President while promoting  everyone that is against him.  It is rather obvious that the Democratic party with their politicians  couldn't accept their defeat in the 2016 election and did nothing to improve the lives of the people they serve and are bent on removing Trump from office for nearly three years now.  I thank God for each time they tried, they failed miserably.   They became a burden to this country and instigators of everything they professed they were fighting against.  Sorry to be blunt but the Democratic Party had become the party of death (Abortion), division, hatred, intolerance, immorality, lawlessness and ungodliness.  In saying this, I'm not excusing the Republican Party.  I'm just saying that between the two, the Dems are one and united into bringing this country to destruction both physically and spiritually. Therefore, if I want to find a balance news reporting, I have to dig deeper and refuse to feed on what these giant social media sites feed me.  I have to double check their sources and wait for credible facts to come out first before reacting or sharing it to other people. This is what it takes today to be socially responsible.

Whether we admit it or not, each one of us react on the issues of life on the basis of our "world view." According to Gotquestions.org, "A “worldview” refers to a comprehensive conception of the world from a specific standpoint. A “Christian worldview,” then, is a comprehensive conception of the world from a Christian standpoint. An individual’s worldview is his “big picture,” a harmony of all his beliefs about the world. It is his way of understanding reality. One’s worldview is the basis for making daily decisions and is therefore extremely important."   Before  I came to know Christ, I based my world view from what my parents and school taught me,  how my environment affected me and what I learned from other people and of course, my own experience.  Religion, culture and traditions also shaped our conduct and usually follows us wherever we go.  But that changed when I came under the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Word (Scripture/Bible) became the Source of all my Truths.  All of a sudden, I understand why I believe what I believe and rid of the many lies I thought were true.  The Ten Commandments I heard growing up are not just simply a set of rules but have shown me the holy and higher ways of God that none of us (on our own merit) would be able to follow for we are guilty of violating them through our motives and thoughts. For as descendants of Adam (by birth), we are spiritually cut-off from God---doomed from His presence for all eternity. If you think for a moment on  how big and powerful God truly is,  you will realize that there's no way you can fully comprehend the infinity of God using your finite mind.  And unless you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, whom God sent to redeem humanity from sure death and receive a new spirit (Born-again, John 3:3), there is no way any of us can understand things that truly matter beyond our natural and physical world.  Truth be told, God's kingdom (the rule of God) is invisible to our naked eyes and blessed are those whose spiritual eyes were opened that they would see.  John 4:23-24 clearly states, "But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved!  Galatians 2:16 says, "Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”  And through His Word (Scripture),  I have a blueprint of God's plan and purpose for all that trusted in Him. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 says, "But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

So as a child of God that relies solely on the infallible Word of God, I deal with the affairs of our time on their spiritual standpoint (benefits and ramifications) versus feelings and emotions (driven by our natural senses).  God allows believers to see beyond the issue (which can easily be faked/staged) and the Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to pursue Truth, pray about it and take the proper action.  We can filter from the many issues of our day  and not be easily swayed by people's false and perverted definition of love and compassion meant to stir people's emotions to fulfill their selfish cause.  Honestly, I don't hate people that disagrees with me!    And I would be willing to explain, through meaningful conversations,, where I'm coming from and listen to other's point of view while respect is maintained.  But as per my experience, the hostile and combative people are those watching fake  news/mainstream media and spending day and night reading articles from the social media giants that spread nothing but hatred and lies to sway this country to their ungodly/globalists/socialists/communists agenda. As a member of the the Body of Christ (Church), we are to broadcast the Truth of God's Word to our sphere of influence (using everything available at our disposal) boldly and refuse to be intimidated by the bullies of this world. Every issue we encounter in a personal, national or global scale should be placed under the guiding light of God's Word. God's Truth is offensive for those who live a lie and it is not our obligation to make everyone comfortable.  It is after all brokenness that leads people to repentance!

For this Card, I used stamps from Hampton Art called Footlongs for their set called "Cupcakes."  This was one of my oldest stamps and so glad to highlight it on this project.  I colored it using my Prismacolor markers and to shade the edges of the panel, I used Distress Ink.  I also used a Recollections Washi Tape and the Ranger Liquid Pearls to spotlight on the middle cupcake.  I love the simplicity of this card.

 THE SWEET LIFE BIRTHDAY CARD

 THE SWEET LIFE BIRTHDAY CARD INSIDE

THE SWEET LIFE BIRTHDAY CARD WITH ENVELOPE

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Happy Craft---ATG
LeAnn's---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Colors of Fall
Color Create Show It Off---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
MIU---ATG/Open Technique (CAS)
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
YSBP---ATG


This is it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge with optional theme, "Spotlight Technique."  If you want to be challenged more, take on our Optional Twist.  But there's really no reason for you to miss it. Can't wait to see what you create. The Word of God is not just an ordinary book.  Read it and you will find every answer to all questions of life, here and beyond!


Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...